Friday 12 October 2012

Football: Greece host Bosnia-Herzegovina in Athens

Bosnia-Herzegovina is attempting to qualify for their
first major football tournament since the nation's
independence in 1992.
(Source: Kip.ba)
Bosnia and Herzegovina's quest for qualification for the 2014 Brazil World Cup continues tonight as they travel to Athens to take on 2004 European Champions Greece.

With both sides currently sitting atop of Group G after two qualifying matches - BiH is slightly ahead on goal-difference - the match could prove crucial to whether or not one or both nations will qualify for the Brazil tournament.

Only the top two sides from the six-team group will qualify for the World Cup, and with Slovakia hot on their heels in third place, a loss tonight for either side would be a huge set-back.

In their opening two matches, BiH obliterated minnows Liechtenstein 8-1 away from home, before going on to claim another three points with a 4-1 drubbing of Latvia in Zenica; whilst Greece opened their campaign with an impressive 2-1 win over the Latvians in Riga, before backing up with a 2-0 victory over Lithuania on home soil.

If Bosnia's football side - nicknamed 'Zmajevi' (or, 'Dragons') - manage to reach the 2014 World Cup, it will be the first time they have qualified for a major football tournament since becoming an independent nation in 1992.

As for the Greeks, despite their surprisingly lofty position of 10th on the current FIFA World rankings, their national side has failed to reach any great heights since their surprise success at the 2004 Euros.

As has been noted, however, Greece has the surprise factor - demonstrated by their ability to reach the final-eight of the Euro 2012 in June - not to mention that they are a very formidable opponent on home soil.

Ahead of tonight's fixture, just one thing can be certain; the Karaiskakis Stadium in Athens is sure to be the centre of a hot atmosphere, and I, personally, cannot wait to see the outcome of the match.

More than 200 Bosnians are believed to have travelled to Greece to support their side.

Good luck, Bosnia!
Sretno Zmajevi!

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