Head coach Sergej Barbarez, despite the defeat, was satisfied with his team’s performance: "It was disappointing to see the players' faces in the locker room. I’m proud, because this is the right path and the way we played. Today I’m the proudest coach in the world, proud of the energy my players gave, the running and commitment. Still, the loss hurts. The first half was maybe the best since I became coach. We conceded an unlucky goal but came back quickly. On the second, we sat too deep, didn’t step out in time, and they used that. Later we tried with many attacking players, but it wasn’t enough. Still, I’m sure this is the team that’ll bring us a lot of joy. We lack experience, and we need to have that in mind. I’m really proud of my team and how they played today. Until the end of qualifiers, we’ll go for the win in every match. A win tonight wouldn’t have solved everything, just as this loss doesn’t end anything."

Edin Džeko scored his 71st goal for the national team, though it wasn’t enough to avoid defeat: "Sadly, with the aggression and energy we had, luck didn’t follow us. We could’ve prevented the goals we conceded. We lost, but heads up. We still need to work. We’re on the right track, though not yet where we want to be. There’s regret over the points, especially because of naive goals conceded. Mistakes happen in football, but we must learn from them. The future is bright. These guys have to go through matches like this to get even better."

Tarik Muharemović pointed out the team’s fighting spirit and energy: "First, I want to thank all the fans who came to the stadium. We gave everything on the pitch, our whole hearts. We played until the last second, but they had more luck. We came back after conceding, wanted the win, but the loose balls went their way both times. I’m proud of the team, we move on. Cyprus awaits and we won’t give up. We’re all going forward together, fighting to the very end."

Ermedin Demirović, who assisted with our goal: "It’s sad to lose a game like this, when you go in with confidence and energy, but end up beaten. This loss really hurts. We went for the win, expected at least a point, and I think we deserved it. This was one of our best matches since we’ve been together. If we keep going like this, we’ll have a good chance to qualify for the World Cup. We had plenty of opportunities, just lacked luck, maybe for a ball to deflect our way like it did for them."