The national team coach points to the PSV player: “These are just players who win matches for you.”
1 min readEsmir Bajraktarevic met Bosnia and Herzegovina at the 2026 World Cup finished third in Group B behind group winners Switzerland and number 2 and also co-host Canada. With four points from three matches, the Bosnians also still have a chance of a place among the tournament’s top 32.
The Balkan country won on Wednesday evening Dutch time in Seattle with 3-1 against Qatar and, with four points, has excellent prospects for a place in the next round. Only the negative goal difference (-1) could possibly still spoil things.
After the match against Qatar, Sergej Barbarez was full of praise for his squad. '''We came here as a clear underdog to achieve something great, and now that has been done'', the national coach said after the match at the press conference.
Thereby Barbarez also pointed to Bajraktarevic, who personally managed to fire his country into the World Cup. It is an enormous burden for all those young players in my group. But we try to relieve players like Kerim of the pressure that will come from public opinion. “We have always predicted it: Kerim on one side, Esmir on the other,” the coach continues his story.
The coach sees a golden future ahead for Bajraktarevic and co. ''We have a lot of young players and I am convinced that this team has only just started and will make even more of an impression at the upcoming finals tournaments. These are simply players who win matches for you and are an important part of the team. Such a strong mentality, that fascinates me. That's why I know that this is only the beginning for Bosnia and Herzegovina'', said Barbarez.
Comments4
i snap Barbarez wel, maar "we kwamen als underdog" klinkt altijd hetzelfde. Die jonge groep van Bosnië lijkt wel echt spelvreugde en durf te hebben, en dat is precies waar PSV het verschil maakt. Hopelijk steekt die energie ook terug bij Bajraktarevic/psv. 👀
tbh dat "Kerim aan de ene kant, Esmir aan de andere kant" snap ik wel. Het gaat om balans in de selectie, niet alleen om 1 ster. Kijk, als Bajraktarevic zo doorselecteert richting de beste 32 dan is zijn ontwikkeling gewoon peak bezig 🔥
Winnen is idd het belangrijkste, maar ik blijf wel denken aan hoe PSV dit soort mentale onderdrukking in stand houdt. Als Bajraktarevic echt zo'n matchwinner is, dan is dat bizar goed voor zijn ontwikkeling. 🔥
Barbarez die Bajraktarevic noemt als verschilmaker, dat klinkt toch vertrouwd. Dit is precies het type jongen dat je PSV ook altijd nodig heeft: beslissend in drukmomenten. Hopelijk pakt PSV dit soort succes mee in het komende blok.