Bosnians embrace victorious 'Dragons'

Wild celebrations broke loose in Sarajevo's central square on Tuesday after Bosnia-Herzegovina qualified for its first World Cup as an independent nation.

Almost 10,000 delirious fans jumped, cried and screamed 'Vamos Bosnia' - or 'Go Bosnia' - when striker Vedad Ibisevic scored in the 68th minute to secure a 1-0 win over Lithuania at Kaunas.

Immediately after the match, the Bosnian players were seen on TV crying in each other's arms, prompting tears to roll down thousands of cheeks at streets and homes in Bosnia.

Thousands of fans, meanwhile, headed to the airport to wait for their "Dragons".

"They have no idea what they have done to the people here," said unemployed Salih Redzic, 52, in tears.

"We all need some 'Brazil'. It's not even about soccer any more. It's about this feeling many of us have almost forgotten and the younger ones have never experienced. The feeling of success," he said.

Bosnia has been close before. It narrowly missed out on the 2010 World Cup and 2012 European Championship, both times losing to Portugal in the playoffs. But the current team, led by Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko and German-born playmaker Zvjezdan Misimovic, made no mistake on Tuesday night.

"We are going to Brazil," the crowd was chanting. That's all that mattered - to use the word 'we' in combination with something synonymous to success.

For many Bosnians, soccer success has been a rare cause for celebration since the country descended into nearly four years of war two decades ago.

"We do not have other reasons to be happy," said Benjamin Saric, a 20 years-old student from Sarajevo who holds little hope of finding a job even when he graduates.

Occasionally, the noise of the fireworks was a reminder of the worst days of the wartime Sarajevo siege. Honking cars cruised the streets all night and people walked the city wrapped in blue and yellow flags.

Upon landing, the team came out singing about Bosnia. Usually serious coach Safet Susic joked with the media, saying some of the players will be kicked off the team because of their behavior on the plane.

The players responded by singing an even louder song about their coach.

"This is the happiest moment of my career," Susic said before leaving the airport building and entering the bus taking the team to a party at the main square.

But even as the bus made its way to the celebration at 2 a.m., the team could see the jubilation throughout the city caused by its win.

(China Daily 10/17/2013 page23)