Nations League: Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland suffered a third Nations League defeat in a row as an Edin Dzeko double gave Bosnia-Herzegovina a 2-0 win in Sarajevo.

The Roma striker scored a goal in each half to leave Michael O'Neill's men without a point in Group B3 and in grave danger of relegation to Group C.

Bosnia are well placed for promotion with three wins from three matches.

George Saville and Gavin Whyte (twice) struck the post for NI, who are without a win in seven competitive matches.

O'Neill's men have drawn one and lost six of those games, comprising World Cup qualifying fixtures and Nations League matches, scoring just two goals in the process.

Northern Ireland have failed to score in nine of their most recent 11 away games, including the last six in a row.

Their last goal on their travels was a Steven Davis penalty in a 3-0 victory over San Marino 13 months ago.

Northern Ireland have won just two of their past 11 games but in contrast Bosnia are unbeaten in eight outings, having lost just one of 12 competitive games at home.

A point against Austria in their 15 November meeting in Vienna would ensure that the Bosnians win the group, with NI facing the Austrians in their final game in the competition on 18 November, having lost to Franco Foda's side 1-0 last week.

Before the game, O'Neill was at pains to point out that his squad is one in transition and that his priority was developing a team capable of qualifying for a second consecutive European Championships in 2020.

His side paid heed to his pre-match demand to be more competitive than they were against Austria three days ago and with more clinical finishing could have come away with at least a point.

Saville, unmarked inside the area, badly scuffed an attempted side-footed volley wide of the goal from 10 yards out after getting on the end of Davis' right-wing cross.

The Middlesbrough midfielder then saw his swivelling shot from Jamal Lewis's left-wing cross rebound off the post, while in the second half his drive was denied by a fine diving save from Ibrahim Sehic.

Substitute Whyte had a header from a Stuart Dallas delivery pushed away by Sehic and then hit the post from six yards with the goal at his mercy.

The Oxford winger, who scored with his first touch on his international debut against Israel in September, also fired a deflected effort against the upright in the final minute.

Corry Evans was handed the captain's armband to celebrate his 50th cap while Liam Boyce produced an impressive performance in a lone central striking role, having overcome a knee injury in time to replace Josh Magennis in the starting line-up.

Striker Dzeko and Juventus midfielder Miralem Pjanic proved to be the difference between the sides, with the Roma forward taking his tally of international goals to 55 in 98 appearances.

Dzeko fired over from Pjanic's sublime cross-field pass early in the game but made no mistake in the 27th minute when the unfortunate Lewis lost his footing and Edin Visca provided the pass for the former Manchester City forward to side-foot past Bailey Peacock-Farrell.

On the half hour, Dzeko's sweetly struck left-foot drive from a Pjanic free-kick flew into the top corner of the net but the 'goal' was controversially ruled out for offside.

Pjanic drilled another free-kick just over while Ognjen Vranjes flashed a right-foot shot wide of the post shortly before half-time.

Peacock-Farrell denied Dzeko and Elvis Saric soon after the resumption but Dzeko curled home a right-foot shot into the bottom corner in the 72nd minute after latching on to another perfectly executed pass from Pjanic.

The Bosnians have lost just one of 10 matches - conceding only three goals - since former Croatia international Robert Prosinecki took charge in January.

Prosinecki's team had defeated Northern Ireland 2-1 when the sides met in Belfast in September despite the home side dominating for long periods of the game.