Toni Duggan and Jodie Taylor brightened Phil Neville’s horizon by returning England to the top of their World Cup qualifying group as Bosnia’s initially obdurate defence came undone.
A match featuring two sendings off – the first, involving Liverpool’s Alex Greenwood, was highly controversial – concluded with second-half goals lifting the Lionesses two points clear of Wales.
For a while it had seemed as if England were about to take a wrong turn along the road to the 2019 finals in France. By the final whistle, though, Neville had secured the second victory of his five games in charge and was all smiles.
“We talked about Bosnia parking the bus but this was parking three or four buses,” he said. “It was football like I had never seen before. It was a patient performance. We had to wait but the girls stuck at it. The first goal was always going to be key.”
After playing in front of a 25,000-plus crowd at Southampton, where they were held 0-0 by Wales last Friday, the Lionesses were watched by a few hundred locals on a mountain fringed practice pitch in Zenica.
Yet if the Bosnian football federation’s training centre was low on atmosphere and spectators, Samira Hurem’s side exhibited a fierce determination to frustrate their guests at every turn. England were required to deconstruct a deep-sitting, extremely conservative, physical, 4-5-1 formation with the early moment when Mel Lawley was sent sprawling following Milena Nikolic’s wince-inducing challenge proving thoroughly emblematic.
Ranked 57th in the world, Hurem’s players were dominated by their opponents but nonetheless soon had England jettisoning sweet passing ideals in favour of a series of long diagonal balls.
Envera Hasanbegovic, Bosnia’s goalkeeper, looked uncertain on crosses but, protected by that reassuring defensive blanket, was surprisingly underworked in a low-key first half.
Its highlight was Hasanbegovic’s diversion of Jade Moore’s eye-catching, top-corner bound, 30-yard shot as the keeper demonstrated that shot stopping is her skill.
If England could not be blamed for turning slightly direct against such bloody-minded opponents, they initially lacked sharpness and incision. Although Moore, especially, did some very good things in a holding midfield capacity, her team could have done with a few more crisp one- and two-touch passing moves.
As Hasanbegovic repelled Ellen White’s header Neville cut an increasingly frustrated presence.
Watching Amira Spahic collect a booking for time-wasting after delaying taking a Bosnia throw it was easy to appreciate why.
With his side largely restricted to long-range speculation, Neville’s problems intensified two minutes into the second half when, following a perceived dive, Greenwood, already booked for dissent, received her second yellow card despite the left-back having a case for a penalty for what looked like a trip.
As he consoled a tearful Greenwood, Neville must have been aware that this was the sort of game which his tactically intelligent predecessor Mark Sampson invariably found a way to win.
The new manager’s mood visibly improved when the increasingly inventive Duggan – who is now at Barcelona – volleyed beyond Hasanbegovic after connecting with Lawley’s superb cross. “Toni scored a brilliant goal,” Neville said. “She was fantastic.”
Shortly afterwards Spahic was dismissed for her second bookable offence, a tug on Beth Mead, the Arsenal forward having just replaced Lawley. Duggan’s 25-yard left-foot drive hit the woodwork, Hasanbegovic saved White’s volley and Mead’s excellent movement ruffled Bosnia’s backline.
When the latter was felled by Lidija Kulis, England won a late penalty. Hasanbegovic dived the right way but could not deny Taylor – newly on for Duggan – her 17th goal in 37 internationals.
