Dzeko, Pjanic and Bosnia hope attack-oriented side can unite fractured country at 2014 World Cup

The Manchester City striker and Roma midfielder headline a side coach Safet Susic hopes will bring together Bosnia's disparate Muslim, Serb and Croat populations.

Edin Dzeko will lead Bosnia and Herzegovina's attack at the 2014 World Cup. Amel Emric / AP

From the ashes of civil war to glory on the football field, Bosnia and Herzegovina will be making their first World Cup appearance in Brazil.

Hardly a household name in European football, Bosnia played their first match as an independent nation in 1995 as the war ended following the bloody breakup of Yugoslavia.

Nearly two decades later, the Bosnians made history when Vedad Ibisevic scored in the 1-0 win over Lithuania in Kaunas to qualify his team for the tournament in Brazil.

The victory sparked wild scenes of jubilation in Sarajevo, where fans celebrated with fireworks and chanting. But it was mostly Bosnian Muslims who celebrated as the majority of Bosnian Serbs and Croats still support the national teams in their neighboring countries.

Bosnia coach Safet Susic, a star midfielder in the former Yugoslavia, noted that the country is still torn apart by political and economic problems, but he hopes playing in Brazil will bring people together.

“A few years ago you could not imagine Bosnians, Serbs and Croats supporting the team, but that could change now,” Susic said.

Bosnia has twice come close to reaching major tournaments, losing out to Portugal on both occasions in the play-offs for the 2010 World Cup and 2012 European Championship.

“It would have been a real injustice if we had failed to win the group and qualify for the World Cup,” Susic said.

Under the charge of Susic and with players of the calibre of Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko, Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic and Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, Bosnia finally did it.

The squad won eight of their 10 matches in qualifying, drawing once and losing once. With 30 goals scored, Bosnia had the fourth-highest tally in the European zone while conceding only six goals.

“We have two top strikers in Dzeko and Ibisevic, a couple of very creative but also attack-minded midfielders like (Zvjezdan) Misimovic and Pjanic,” Susic said. “We have a great generation of players that have been together for some time now and everything has clicked.”

The one weak link in Brazil – where Bosnia will face Argentina, Nigeria and Iran in Group F – could be the defensive line as injuries have disrupted the central partnership and both fullback positions have huge question marks over them.

Despite the problem, the Bosnians are cautiously optimistic that they could emerge at least second in the group and reach the round of 16.

“Obviously, the first game against Argentina is going to be really tough, but it’s going to be exciting and we are really looking forward to it,” Begovic said. “We have to make sure that we are well prepared and hopefully with a little bit of luck on our side, we get through the group.

“That’s our goal. We will see what happens.”

With an attack-minded coach and a world-class striker leading the way, Bosnia are looking to score plenty of goals at the World Cup.

Manchester City striker Dzeko scored most of the team’s goals in qualifying, and coach Safet Susic will be looking for plenty more when the team gets to Brazil to face Argentina, Iran and Nigeria in Group F.

A creative midfield run by Miralem Pjanic will help, too.

Here are five Bosnia players to watch:

Edin Dzeko – Despite being in and out of the Manchester City squad, he managed to score 10 of Bosnia’s 30 goals in World Cup qualifying.

Dzeko, nicknamed “the Diamond” in Bosnia, has scored 26 goals in 49 international matches and will be the key man up front in an attack-minded lineup.

Miralem Pjanic – The Roma attacking midfielder provides flair in the Bosnia midfield.

Pjanic started his international career in Luxembourg following his family’s move to the country shortly before the outbreak of the war in Bosnia in 1991.

He had to wait two years to get permission to play for Bosnia, making his debut in 2008. He has scored eight goals in 46 appearances for Bosnia.

Vedad Ibisevic – His strike gave Bosnia a 1-0 win over Lithuania in Kaunas to assure his team of World Cup qualification.

The Stuttgart forward has also played club football in Switzerland, the United States and France.

In 2008, Ibisevic was awarded the “National Idol” award as Bosnian footballer of the year.

He has scored 20 goals in 51 appearances for Bosnia.

Asmir Begovic – The Stoke goalkeeper is considered among the top netminders in the Premier League.

Begovic, who left Bosnia when he was four, conceded only six goals in 10 qualifying matches for Bosnia.

He opted to play for Bosnia ahead of Canada, the side with which he started his international youth career in 2004.

Zvjezdan Mismiovic – The midfielder leads Bosnia with 80 international appearances, and has scored 26 goals.

Playing for Wolfsburg and winning the Bundesliga in 2009, Misimovic led the league with 20 assists.

Misimovic currently plays for Chinese club Guizhou Renhe.

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