APPLETON, Wis. — Bosnia and Herzegovina are headed to their second-ever FIFA World Cup, and they have a Wisconsinite to thank for it.
Esmir Bajraktarević, 21, fired home the winning penalty kick Tuesday night as Bosnia and Herzegovina took down Italy in a shootout to qualify for soccer’s most prestigious tournament.
Bajraktarević was born in Appleton and made his professional debut for MLS club New England Revolution. He was part of the United States national team’s youth soccer system, but swapped his allegiance in 2024.
Tuesday’s match was a tense one throughout. Italy scored in the 15th minute, but were reduced to 10 men before halftime after Alessandro Bastoni was sent off.
The Italian defense held firm for half an hour, but Haris Tabaković found the net in the 79th minute to equalize. The match went to a penalty shootout, where Italian teams have historically been shaky.
That shakiness shined through, as the Italians missed two of their first three penalties. Bosnia and Herzegovina were perfect in their first three, giving Bajraktarević the chance to take the winning shot.
He fired a powerful shot to the bottom-right corner. Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma got a touch on it, but not enough as the ball flew into the net.
Bosnia and Herzegovina will now advance to their second-ever World Cup. Their first appearance in the tournament was in 2014. They’ve been placed into Group B, which includes Canada, Qatar and Switzerland.
The World Cup kicks off on June 11, with Mexico hosting South Africa in Mexico City.
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