National "A" team head coach Sergej Barbarez didn’t hide his satisfaction after tonight’s victory: "All the credit tonight goes to the players. I thought the first half was quite decent. I was satisfied, we warned about their counterattacks. Malić slipped out of line once, but we’ll need to close that better in the future and pay more attention. I feel for Arjan, but he’s also happy that we won and are moving forward. We had considered a Plan B in case something happened, so we wanted an extra option through Tabaković and Alajbegović. They absolutely deserved the big applause. This is our path. We want this approach to last for years and for these guys to carry the team in the coming period. Our wish is for them to play together for the next ten years. Now we’re off to test ourselves in Vienna."

With his 72nd goal for the Dragons, captain Edin Džeko sparked the second-half comeback: "The second half showed we’ve got quality. I looked at our lineup before the match - players aged 19, 20, 24… I’m the ‘slightly older’ one, messing up their average, but that’s the reality and it’s great. Of course, there were mistakes, but that’s the experience these kinds of matches bring. We’ve got to learn from those situations. The first half wasn’t bad, but there were plenty of lapses. We fell asleep after the goal we conceded - we should’ve handled that better. Still, we showed character and gave everything in the next 45 minutes. The crowd’s support lifted us massively in the second half. Then the red card Nikola drew helped too. I hope the coach is happy. We’re working harder than ever, training intensely and fully committed. Mistakes are part of the game and there’ll be more, but I’m convinced we’ll keep improving over time."

Amar Memić made a great job both in attack and defense, and assisted Džeko’s goal: "Really tough match on a demanding pitch, but we’re overjoyed with the win. The crowd carried us to victory - the fans were absolutely brilliant. They cheered us on even when we were struggling and trailing 1:0. I hope they’ll support us just as strongly in Austria. We’re going there to win and we believe we can qualify for the World Cup."

Nikola Vasilj made several key saves to keep our team in the game, earning a big share of the credit for tonight’s triumph: "I think this was truly an unforgettable night. We played a great match. Even though we conceded, we managed to completely turn it around in the second half with this incredible crowd behind us. I’m thrilled with the win, the atmosphere, and how we played. There was no panic at halftime - we knew everything was in our hands. We believed that with a few adjustments and more aggression, we could pull off a comeback, and that proved true. Hats off to the guys. The euphoria’s huge now, and of course we’ve got our chances - why not? It’ll be tough, we’re playing away against Austria, but there’s no reason to be afraid. We’ve got to leave our hearts on the pitch again, play bravely, fiercely, and with intensity. I believe our fans in Vienna will show up in big numbers."

Esmir Bajraktarević scored one of the most stunning goals of this qualifying cycle: "A huge win. The most important thing was to triumph in front of our fans and I’m really happy about that. I play best when I don’t overthink, when I go off instinct. I cut in on my stronger foot and scored. Now we’ve got to shift all our focus to Austria - I believe we can get another win."