SOCCER: Bosnia boss says players should be proud of World Cup journey

SANTA CLARA, California — Bosnia and Herzegovina coach Sergej Barbarez praised his players after their FIFA World Cup campaign ended with a 2-0 loss to the United States in the Round of 32 on Wednesday.

The defeat marked the end of Bosnia and Herzegovina's historic run, as the team reached the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time.

"I was really proud of them," Barbarez said. "This is the result that we should celebrate. We shouldn't be sad because this is part of life, part of football, especially in a big competition like this."

Bosnia advanced to the expanded 48-team World Cup through the playoffs, eliminating former champions Italy. In the group stage, the team drew with co-host Canada, defeated Qatar, and lost to Switzerland before advancing to the knockout round.

Barbarez acknowledged the challenge of facing the United States, saying his team made costly mistakes and struggled to create scoring opportunities.

Despite the loss, the coach said he was eager to return home and celebrate the team's achievement with supporters.

"Video messages are nice and great, phone calls are great, but being among people, only then will we understand how good this is, how big this," Barbarez said.

"Although we were down two goals, my heart was really full when I was watching them. This is really a beautiful thing, and I'm the proudest coach in the world right now." -Reporting by Martin Petty; Editing by Peter Rutherford/Reuters