Cyprus had the first chance in the 6’ when Ioannis Pittas fired wide from around 15 meters after a quick transition following a recovered ball. Just a minute later, Kerim Alajbegović tried from a similar position, but Neofytos Michael made the save. BiH took the lead in the 10’. Alajbegović took a free kick from the right, Katić headed it on goal, the Cypriot keeper saved it, but the ball came back to Katić who scored on the second attempt.
In the 32’, Grigoris Kastanos played a long ball over our defense, Pittas went one-on-one with Nikola Vasilj but missed the target. In the 36’, our team doubled their lead. Alajbegović took a corner from the left, and the opposing keeper mishandled the ball, dropping it into his own net.
Cyprus pulled one back in the first minute of first-half stoppage time. After a shot from Marinos Tzionis hit the post, Konstantinos Laifis pounced on the rebound and scored. A minute later, Tzionis had another good chance but missed wide.
There weren’t many opportunities early in the second half, however Esmir Bajraktarević and Amar Memić had decent efforts in the 72’ and 74’ respectively, both missing the target. In the 80’, Kastanos tried from distance but lacked precision. In the 86’, Bajraktarević tested the keeper again, who was well positioned. A minute later, Bajraktarević fired from outside the box, but Michael tipped it over the bar.
In the fifth minute of stoppage time, after Ivan Šunjić fouled Andronikos Kakoullis, referee Lawrence Visser pointed to the spot. Ioannis Pittas converted the penalty. In the final seconds, Nail Omerović crossed from the left, and Dino Beširović shot wide from 7–8 meters.
In the other Group H match, Austria beat San Marino 10:0 in Vienna.
Austria leads the table with 15 points, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina with 13, Romania with 7, Cyprus with 5, and San Marino (0). Austria and Romania have one game less than the rest of the teams in the group.
In the next round, scheduled for Sunday, October 12, San Marino will host Cyprus and Romania will face Austria, while our team will play a friendly against Malta in Ta’ Qali (Sunday, 19:00).
