Absolutely incredible scenes tonight. First in Sweden, then in Bosnia.
Firstly, a genuinely gripping, enthralling game between the Scandis and Poland. Poland probably deserved to take it all the way; they were far better in the second half. But Gyokeres is brimming with confidence at the moment, and his precision was every bit as on point as it needed to be.
Secondly, genuinely historic scenes in Zenica. A pretty turgid game of football if we’re being honest, but Bosnia & Herzegovina wanted it more for pretty much all of the ET period. It’s hard not to feel for Italy - their third successive failure to qualify for a WC is historic for all the wrong reasons.
But that the Bosnians are finally going, having been beaten at the playoff finals so many times previously, is absolutely delicious. Almost as gratifying as the idea of a 40-year-old Dzeko getting his screen time this summer.
I’m still undecided as to whether I’m going to boycott the tournament, so this might be the last international knockout football I watch this year. At least I got to watch a couple of matches that will live long in the memory of the respective fans. What a night.