Susic buoyed by brave Bosnia performance

Needing a win to leapfrog the French in Group D and reach their first major tournament as an independent nation, the Bosnians dominated for long spells and led through a superb Edin Dzeko goal before a late Samir Nasri penalty sent the French through.

"This is not the end, we have shown in Paris that we can stand our ground against anyone and I am confident we will qualify through the play-offs," Susic told Bosnian media after Tuesday's game at the Stade de France.

"This is not the same team that lost the 2010 World Cup play-off to Portugal two years ago, these lads are now playing with a lot more confidence and are not afraid to take the game to Europe's best teams.

"It's a pity we didn't beat France because in the first half we outplayed them like no one has on their own turf.

"We ran out of steam in the second and I had to substitute two players because they couldn't carry on."

Former Yugoslavia and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Susic, who played in the 1982 and 1990 World Cup tournaments, was furious with the penalty given to France after Nasri went down under a clumsy challenge from Emir Spahic.

"I was stunned when the referee awarded the spot-kick because even if it was a foul, it was outside the penalty area and it didn't even look like a foul," he said.

"It was a controversial penalty to say the least."

Bosnia will be unseeded in Thursday's draw in Krakow for the two-legged play-offs.