Young BiH team unsuccessful, Portugal too strong for the Dragons

FUNCHAL, (Patria) - The young football team of Bosnia and Herzegovina was defeated by Portugal with a score of 2:4 away on the island of Madeira in a qualifying match for the 2019 European Championship, thus remaining without a playoff.

The match started very intensely and openly. Already in the first minute, a fantastic chance for the Dragons, and Demirović headed the ball after a mistake by goalkeeper Pereira, but someone intervened from the goal line.

It took the Portuguese two minutes to respond, but Diogo Jota headed the ball over the goal from a promising position. Excitement continued in the first ten minutes, followed by a slight lull.

However, in the 20th minute, Andre Horta scored brilliantly out of nowhere. He shot along the ground from a distance and beat the helpless Trkulja. Horta continued to cause problems for our team, and after another 10 minutes, he troubled the goalkeeper of Borac Banja Luka from an even greater distance, but this time there was no goal.

However, in the very final moments of the first half, an equalizer. Demirović received a timely pass and calmly put it behind the Portuguese goalkeeper for the equalizer and an eruption of excitement. The score was 1:1 at halftime, so hope returned to our squad.

However, the second half saw a significantly better performance from the hosts, who settled the question of victory with two quick goals. First, in the 53rd minute, Joao Felix restored the lead for the Portuguese, and then reserve player Goncalves scored a spectacular goal, playing with the entire defense of the Dragons and scoring a rarely seen goal.

At that point, the morale of the young BiH footballers clearly dropped, and they did not recover from the tough ten minutes the Portuguese put on. By the end, Tavares set the final score at 4:1, and Portugal, as the second-placed team in our group, advanced to the playoffs for the 2019 European Championship.

Portugal – Bosnia and Herzegovina 4:2 (Horta 21', Felix 53', Goncalves 64', Tavares 90+1' / Demirović 43')

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