Spain escapes Bosnia with 1-1 draw in qualifier

ZENICA, Bosnia (Reuters) -- Spain were fortunate to earn a point from their opening World Cup qualifier when they scraped a barely deserved 1-1 draw away to Bosnia in a Group Seven match on Wednesday. (Scores and match reports)

Midfielder Vicente put the visitors ahead against the run of play midway through the second half but Bosnia striker Elvir Bolic equalised eight minutes later when he cashed in on a defensive error to score with a cool finish.

The result left both teams sharing third place in the group with Belgium, two points behind Serbia and Montenegro and three behind Lithuania, who crushed unfancied San Marino 4-0 earlier on Wednesday.

"We showed today that our team is capable and that we shall fight for the first two places in the group," said Bolic. "This result gives us hope that we can achieve something this year."

Bosnia had by far the better of the game and had it not been for sharp goalkeeping from Iker Casillas and some desperate last-ditch defending the home side would have got their campaign off to a winning start.

GREAT CHANCES

Midfielder Elvir Baljic had two great opportunities to put Bosnia in front in the first half but he fired a close-range volley over the bar in the opening minute and was then denied by a fine block from Casillas just before the break.

Spain were unable to create a single scoring chance in the first half as the Bosnians snuffed out any potential danger with an authoritative display at the back.

The visitors made a better start to the second half when skipper Raul hit the bar with a dipping 20-metre shot. Vicente then gave them the lead after cutting in from the right and firing an angled shot into the far corner in the 66th minute.

But Bosnia finally converted one of their chances when the tireless Bolic raced on to a neat pass, waited for Casillas to commit himself and then dinked the ball over him into the net.

The goal stung Spain into a late response and substitute Fernando Morientes went close to manufacturing a winner when he weaved his way through the defence before laying the ball off to Vicente but the winger screwed a wild shot well over the bar.

Striker Morientes and his opposite number Zvjezdan Misimovic had further chances to grab a late victory but it was the visitors who could count themselves lucky to earn a point.

Summary

Bosnia 1 Spain 1 - result

World Cup European zone Group Seven qualifier

Scorers

Bosnia: Elvir Bolic 74

Spain: Vicente 66

Halftime: 0-0; Attendance: 15,000

Teams

Bosnia: 1-Kenan Hasagic; 10-Hasan Salihamidzic, 5-Branimir Bajic, 4-Emir Spahic, 3-Vedin Music; 2-Vladan Grujic, 9-Sergej Barbarez, 8-Mirsad Beslija, 11-Elvir Baljic (17-Dragan Blatnjak 63); 6-Zvjezdan Misimovic, 7-Elvir Bolic (18-Nedim Halilovic 83)

Spain: 1-Iker Casillas; 2-Michel Salgado, 5-Carles Puyol, 6-Ivan Helguera, 3-Enrique Romero; 10-Victor (14-Fernando Morientes 50), 4-David Albelda (18-Xabi Alonso 71), 8-Ruben Baraja (12-Juan Carlos Valeron 58), 11-Vicente; 9-Jose Antonio Reyes, 7-Raul

Referee: Massimo De Santis (Italy)

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