NI starting line-up in Zenica
THIS 1-1 draw secures second spot in League B Group 1, and earns Tanya Oxtoby’s side the right to take on one of the four sides finishing in third spot in League A for a place in the top tier.
Oxtoby made three changes to the side that started Friday night’s loss to Poland, bringing Danielle Maxwell, Lauren Wade and Rachel Dugdale into the side in place of Abi Sweetlove, Nadene Caldwell and Kascie Weir.
The home side also made a number of amendments to their starting XI from last week’s reversal to Romania as Ena Sabanagic, Samra Muhic and Elma Husic replaced Aida Hadzic, Dajana Spasojevic and Ena Taslidza.
With Bosnia-Herzegovina needing a win to have any hopes of snatching that play-off spot themselves it was perhaps no surprise that they started on the front foot when Marija Milinkovic nodded wide from Una Rankic’s corner in the opening moments.
Milinkovic threatened again a few minutes after that with a low effort blocked by keeper Jackie Burns, whilst Selma Kapetanovic sent the rebound wide.
Northern Ireland created their first effort on goal ten minutes in after Danielle Maxwell’s low right-sided cross just evading the stretching Lauren Wade at the far post before, a short time later, the ball fell for captain Simone Magill but she just failed to poke it beyond the home keeper.
But Magill went one better midway through the first half.
Burns found Rebecca Holloway with a clearance who, in turn, brought the ball forward to tee up Magill to make the most of her composure and experience to confidently slot the opening goal past Almina Hodzic.
It proved to be a short-lived lead, however, after the hosts levelled just before the half-hour courtesy of Sofija Krajusumovic’s finish into the far corner after getting past Ellie Mason to run on to Elma Husic’s ball over the top.
The visitors responded positively, and might have regained the advantage later in the first half only for the home keeper to gather Holloway’s cross into the box with Magill poised to pounce followed by a Megan Bell effort which Hodzic did well to push away.
The hosts came within a whisker of moving in front themselves a few minutes from the break after another Rankic set piece, this time a free-kick, bent around the wall before hitting the base of the post and falling to safety.
Spurred on by that close call, Bosnia-Herzegovina started the second half in much the same way as the first when scorer Krajusumovic cut the ball back for Melina Nikolic but her effort was blocked by Rachel Dugdale before being cleared.
Nikolic was involved again soon after when she evaded a number of tackle before finding Rankic, but her low shotrickled wide of the target.
Northern Ireland had made a couple of changes at the break, bringing on Emily Wilson and Keri Halliday, and it was Linfield’s Halliday that almost made an early impact when her dipping cross almost got past the home keeper as Magill again looked set to make the most of the opportunity.
Halliday and Magill combined well again just after the hour, with Halliday laying the ball off for the Northern Ireland captain to send a strong strike over the bar.
The 20-year-old then had a chance of her own when she tried to connect to a Mason cross but just couldn’t get a strong enough contact on the ball.
Despite needing to find a couple of goals from somewhere to overhaul Northern Ireland the home side failed to show any real threat as the game ticked away, with the visitors looking the more likely to find the net again after Halliday saw an effort denied by Hodzic before Mason also saw a shot on goal gathered by the keeper in the closing stages.
Northern Ireland will discover the identity of their play-off opponents at noon on Friday.
Bosnia-Herzegovina: Almina Hodzic, Ena Sabanagic, Gloria Sliskovic, Melisa Hasanbegovic, Samra Muhic, Elma Husic, Una Rankic, Marija Milinkovic, Sofija Krajsumovic, Milena Nikolic (c), Selma Kapetanovic Substitutes: (used) Emma Veletanlic, Andrea Grebenar, Nikolina Milovic, Aida Hadzic; (unused) Envera Hasanbegovic, Iman Dumanjic, Ana Juric, Minela Gacanica, Alma Krajnic, Nina Brnic
Northern Ireland: Jackie Burns, Rebecca Holloway, Rachel Dugdale, Ellie Mason, Lauren Wade, Brenna McPartlan, Megan Bell, Joely Andrews, Rebecca McKenna, Danielle Maxwell, Simone Magill (c)
Substitutes: (used) Emily Wilson, Keri Halliday, Kascie Weir, Natalie Johnson, Caragh Hamilton; (unused) Abbie Smith, Kate Smith, Rachel Furness, Aimee Kerr, Nadene Caldwell, Louise McDaniel,
