Sarajevo beat BSK Banja Luka 1:0 in the Premier League on Thursday evening. The hosts kept their place in the upper half of the table after a match decided by a single goal. By then the result was settled, though neither side made it easy for themselves.
Barisic gave Sarajevo the lead in the 34th minute. He had the chance to double it later, but the game stayed 1:0 for most of the second half. And here's the thing — the visitors could have levelled, but their chances fell short.
Ignatkov saw yellow in the 28th minute, followed by Zivkovic five minutes later. Keranovic picked up a booking just after the break in the 48th minute. Sarajevo brought on Kyeremeh early, then Misimovic and Dizdarevic together at 62 minutes. Zivkovic was replaced by Kupresak, while Kosi and Racic came on for the hosts near the end.
The late drama came in the 86th minute when a goal was cancelled by VAR. That decision shifted the momentum, but Sarajevo held firm. To be fair, Banja Luka had their moments, but they could not find a way through when it mattered.
Sarajevo dominated possession at 66 per cent and registered 100 attacks compared with 47 for the visitors. They had 17 shots to Banja Luka's four, though only six landed on target. The visitors managed just two shots on target all game.
Sarajevo sit fourth with seven points from four games. Banja Luka remain ninth with three points after five matches. The gap between them is widening, and this result keeps the hosts within striking distance of the top spots.