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Iran's dreams of a place in the World Cup knockout stages were ended by an impressive Bosnia and Herzegovina team.
Safet Susic's team showed they were unlucky to have already been eliminated from the competition after they put in an excellent performance against Iran.
Edin Dzeko, Miralem Pjanic and Avdija Vrsajevic were all on the scoresheet for a Bosnian team that was in control from start to finish.
Iran needed a victory to progress - as long as Argentina beat Nigeria - but they looked overawed by the occasion.
After Dzeko opened the scoring after 23 minutes Iran had a chance to immediately level, but Masoud Shojaei's strike cannoned back off the crossbar.
Show all 22 1 /22Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 Iran 1 player ratings Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 Iran 1 player ratings Asmir Begovic Made a terrific save after 30 minutes but was largely untested for much of the game. Was up to the task when called upon.
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Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 Iran 1 player ratings Avdija Vrsajevic Was guilty of a poor finish in the first half but made amends in the second period with a fine goal to put the game out of Iran’s reach. An otherwise decent display.
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Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 Iran 1 player ratings Emir Spahic A dominant performance from within the very heart of Bosnia & Hercegovina’s defence, Spahic didn’t let the ball past him on one single occasion. A vital member of the team.
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Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 Iran 1 player ratings Sead Kolasinic Looked impressive on the counter attack and solid at the back. Kolasinac was a threat Iran never really dealt with and proved to be a constant thorn in their side.
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Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 Iran 1 player ratings Muhamed Besic Had an uninfluential opening forty-five minutes but proved to be more of an issue for the Iran defence in the second half. Frequently galloping through his opponent’s backline, his distribution let him down.
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Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 Iran 1 player ratings Miralem Pjanic Presented the Iranian defence with a number of problems down the flank and finished his goal well. It’s no surprise some of the biggest clubs in the Premier League have been watching the Roma man.
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Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 Iran 1 player ratings Vedad Ibisevic After another landmark season with Stuttgart, it is perhaps no wonder that Vedad Ibisevic is proving his quality on the world stage. A commanding display from the 29-year-old.
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Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 Iran 1 player ratings Edin Dzeko Carried his side in this game and ultimately became the reason for their success. Despite a misunderstanding with Miralem Pjanic in the second half, which could have cost Bosnia & Hercegovina dearly, his goal was emphatic. A fine afternoon’s work.
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Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 Iran 1 player ratings Tino Sven Susic Struggled to get back into the game after a lively start and looked jaded by the end. Didn’t made much of an impression. 6.5
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Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 Iran 1 player ratings Toni Sunjic A though tackler, as well as possessing a turn of pace many would be envious of, this was an exciting performance from the 25-year-old Zorya defender (left). 7
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Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 Iran 1 player ratings Anel Hadzic Proved to be the pass-point for many of his side’s forays into the Iran half and ultimately delivered a fine, comfortable performance. 7
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Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 Iran 1 player ratings Alireza Haghighi Despite some early impressive saves from a trio of Edin Dzeko efforts, this wasn’t Alireza Haghighi’s best display in an Iranian shirt. It reflected in the scoreline. 6
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Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 Iran 1 player ratings Ehsan Haji Safi Struggled to deal with Miralem Pjanic’s many talents and was left wanting whenever he ventured forward. His most disappointing afternoon of the tournament. 6
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Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 Iran 1 player ratings Jalal-Hosseini.jpg Was to blame for Bosnia & Hercegovina’s second goal, after an appallingly mistimed pass, and struggled to get any sort of hold on the match. 5
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Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 Iran 1 player ratings Amir Hossein Sadeghi Showed passion throughout and a willingness to fight for the Iranian cause but unfortunately lacked the quality and the conviction to match his desire. 6.5
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Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 Iran 1 player ratings Javad Nekounam At 33-years-old, the Kuwait FC man’s age did show on occasions after impressing in the opening stages. Made little impact in the final third, however, and will be disappointed not to have made more of an impression. 6.5
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Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 Iran 1 player ratings Masoud Shojaei Was impressive in the heart of Iran’s midfield and was bitterly unlucky to hit the crossbar in the first half. On another afternoon his thunderous effort may well have gone in. A good shift. 7
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Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 Iran 1 player ratings Andranik Timotian Disappeared for large swathes of the match where his creativity could have been imperative to picking the Bosnian lock. 6
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Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 Iran 1 player ratings Pejman Montazeri Showed a clear desire to make an impression but was perhaps too keen to make a name for himself. His passion should be commended nonetheless. 6.5
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Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 Iran 1 player ratings Reza Ghoochnnajhad One of Iran’s brightest lights at this summer’s World Cup, the Charlton Athletic forward scored their only goal of the tournament too. Was a menace throughout and could have even doubled his tally in the latter stages. 7
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Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 Iran 1 player ratings Ashkan Dejagah Constantly causing problems, Dejagah never lost sight of the importance of this game. It’s just a shame the quality wasn’t there around him. 7
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Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 Iran 1 player ratings Mehrdad Pooladi Following a fine season in the Iranian Premier League, Pooladi’s summer came to a close with another decent display. Was a threat in the final third. 7
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Pjanic gave Bosnia a 2-0 lead but Charlton striker Reza Ghoochannejhad thought he had given Iran some hope with a goal eight minutes from the end.
But Vrsajevic ended that before it even began, drilling home a minute later.
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