Euro 2020 Match 8: Bosnian Win Over Greece Crucial in Group

The following article provides an oversight for matches and tournaments taking place in 2020.

Euro 2020 Match 8: Greece v Bosnia-Herzegovina

Bosnian Win Over Greece Crucial in Group

June 16, 2020

Greece 0 Bosnia-Herzegovina 1

 

Greece and Bosnia-Herzegovina travelled to Portugal to gain the upper hand in their group, with the latter taking the full points.

 

Greece looked the more dangerous early as they produced a double save from Ibrahim Šehić. First, Efthymios Koulouris took a punt from the semicircle after the ball bounced back to him off a defender. After the goalkeeping save, Kostas Fortounis had a shot from a tight angle, and again, Šehić stopped the ball from entering the goal area.

 

Down the other end, Miralem Pjanić tried with his left foot, only to miss well wide. Bosnia-Herzegovina tried working down both wings but cut back inboard each time. Pjanić had a second shot on goal, with his direction once again not on target.

 

Bosnia then should have had a shot, only to pass too often, and Greece easily cleared the pressured attack. Later, Edin Višća had a shot blocked, before Edin Džeko entered the match as a threat with a volley from a right-wing cross.

 

After the break, Darko Todorović earned a yellow card deep in his right back position. From the free kick, Fortounis had a shot from outside the box after the Bosnians initially cleared the free kick, only for the defence to block enough of the ball to slow it down as it reached Šehić.

 

Bosnia took charge of the midfield and Džeko finished off a great team goal, as the Bosnians kept up the pressure, moving the ball with sheer will down central midfield before the striker polished off a grand strike.

 

Greece kept up their tactic of through balls, only to no avail. Instead, Bosnia’s substitute Stjepan Lončar fired down the other end, missing to the right of goal.

 

Greece needed an equaliser and Koulouris sought for with steely resolve, only to have his shot from a tight angle blocked after he brought down the chip pass with his chest. Again, Koulouris had a chance, this time heading a cross from the left wing, only to have too much pressure from the defence and missing the goal.

 

Instead, the Bosnians worked their way down the other end, and though they had a late scare with a poor throw-in that fell straight to an unmarked Koulouris, the Greeks were unable to find that elusive goal, and Bosnia-Herzegovina came away with the three points.