JOIN USBosnia paid the price for stage fright in their maiden World Cup appearance against heavyweights Argentina and will head into the next two group matches buoyed by a good performance, coach Safet Susic said after their 2-1 defeat on Sunday.
The Bosnians rarely looked second best against the twice Word Cup winners at the Maracana but were undone by an unlucky Sead Kolasinac own goal and a dazzling Lionel Messi effort.
"As I said yesterday the objective was to make it as difficult as we can for Argentina, the favourites to win the World Cup, and I think we played well in both halves," Susic told a news conference. "When you play Argentina you have to play well and also have a great deal of luck. It was only because of the psychological pressure that we looked as if we had run out of steam a little bit in the closing stages," he added.
"We hope that the goal we scored will mean a lot to us in the upcoming games. We will probably need to amass four or even six points to go through but I told the lads this wasn't the crucial match. I am convinced that we still have everything to play for. Watching Argentina is one thing but playing against them is another. They are a great team with outstanding individuals and we definitely have no regrets."
"It is difficult to play Messi or a player like him, I originally thought of man marking him but it is impossible," he said. "I gave him some freedom but instructed my players that the nearest one to him must close him down whenever he gets the ball.”