Bosnia and Herzegovina kept their World Cup dreams alive and ended Qatar’s in a 3-1 Group B victory rich in incident, tension and moments of brilliance on Wednesday, leaving the Bosnians almost certain to qualify for the knockout stages as one of the tournament’s eight best third-placed teams.

On a landmark afternoon for captain Edin Dzeko, who won his 150th cap for Bosnia, his side found the breakthrough their relentless first half pressure deserved when Kerim Alajbegovic produced the sort of moment that can illuminate a World Cup.

Picking up possession on the edge of the area in the 29th minute, he slalomed through a crowd of defenders before dispatching an unstoppable right-footed drive into the top corner.