Bosnia and Herzegovina hold Sweden to 1-1 draw as Edin Dzeko completes international farewell

Disallowed goals in an open first half

The UEFA Nations League Division B Group 4 fixture in Zenica opened with early pressure from the visiting team. In the fifth minute, Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres tested 20-year-old goalkeeper Salko Hamzic, who stopped the shot. Bosnian supporters displayed a choreography tribute in the eleventh minute in honour of captain Edin Dzeko. Six minutes later, Alexander Bernhardsson delivered a cross from the right wing following a quick combination in midfield. Gyokeres controlled the ball on his chest, beat a defender in a physical duel, and scored, but the goal was disallowed after a video assistant referee review identified a handball. Sweden suffered an injury setback around the 30th minute when defender Carl Starfelt had to leave the pitch, replaced by Eric Smith. In first-half stoppage time, Kerim Alajbegovic crossed from the left wing to Ermedin Demirovic, who headed the ball to Dzeko for a volley into the top corner, but the referee ruled the goal out because the ball had crossed the end line.

Gyokeres scores before Dzeko exits

Bosnia and Herzegovina opened the second half with spells of positional attacking play before Sweden broke the deadlock on the hour mark. Bernhardsson won possession in the opponent's half and played a pass through to Gyokeres. The Arsenal forward struck the ball firmly under the crossbar to give Graham Potter's side a 1-0 lead. Two minutes later, in the 62nd minute, Dzeko was substituted in his final appearance for the national team. His teammates formed a guard of honour as the 40-year-old forward left the field to applause from both sets of players and supporters, concluding an international career comprising 152 appearances and 73 goals. Gyokeres had a chance to double the Swedish lead shortly afterward when clean through on goal, but he took the ball wide of the net and failed to score from a tight angle.

Alajbegovic levels the match

The home team pushed forward in search of an equaliser during the final twenty minutes of the contest. In the 80th minute, a free kick taken by Esmir Bajraktarevic caused confusion inside the Swedish penalty area. The Swedish defense managed an initial clearance toward the edge of the penalty box, where Kerim Alajbegovic ran onto the loose ball. Alajbegovic sent a curled delivery back toward the goalmouth, which evaded every teammate and defender before bouncing into the net past goalkeeper Viktor Johansson. The Swedish side had controlled ball possession for extended stretches of the encounter, but neither team found a late winner before the final whistle.

Group positions in the Nations League

The 1-1 draw leaves both teams undefeated after three rounds of matches in Group 4. Sweden had entered Friday's match with six points following consecutive victories against Romania and Poland. Bosnia and Herzegovina entered the fixture with four points, having secured an away draw in Warsaw against Poland and a win in Romania. The Zenica match took place simultaneously with Poland's fixture against Romania at PGE Narodowy in Warsaw. Results across this Nations League group carry implications for team seeding ahead of qualifying for Euro 2028.