The scene looked almost surreal.

More than 5000 Bosnians packed the stands of the quirky S. Dariaus ir S. Gireno stadium in Kaunas and after the final whistle they were in ecstasy. Collective delirium. Vedad Ibisevic's 68th-minute goal secured probably the biggest win in the history of Bosnian football. Bosnia and Herzegovina defeated Lithuania to qualify for their first World Cup and inaugurate the biggest party this little nation has ever known.

"This is the best day of our lives," shouted striker Edin Dzeko. He was covered with tears of joy, as many others were. "This is what we live for. Look at this," said playmaker Miralem Pjanic, pointing to the stands. People were trying to jump on to the pitch. Everybody wanted to hug the players, to share the joy with them. Some made it, others were captured by the stewards. No-one cared, they just kissed and hugged the stewards instead. Nothing compares with this. Phrases such as "the best" and "lived for" are the leitmotif of almost every conversation, be it with players, coaching staff, journalists or fans.

Bosnia and Herzegovina are going to the World Cup. "It sounds just brilliant", said Safet Susic, the coach. The journalists welcomed him with a long round of applause and asked how he felt. The man voted the best player in the history of the country, the best player in the history of Paris St-Germain, the man who was one of the most influential players in the last Yugoslav team at a World Cup, in 1990. "This is the best moment in my sporting career. I played some big matches, scored some important goals, but this . . ." He could not finish the sentence, and instead just smiled.

The country that gained footballing independence in 1995, three years after secession from Yugoslavia and just nine days after the Dayton agreement - which ended a war that had taken 100,000 lives - finally reached its sacred goal. After missing the last two major tournaments, twice losing to Portugal in play-offs, they dominated their qualification group, scoring 30 goals in 10 matches. But Bosnia is a country of fewer than four million people, with a terrible domestic league and poor results at youth levels. What is their secret?

The spine of Susic's team play abroad: Asmir Begovic with Stoke City, Emir Spahic with Bayer Leverkusen, Pjanic with Roma, Ibisevic with VfB Stuttgart and Dzeko with Manchester City. Only one man in the 22-strong squad plays in Bosnia: third-choice goalkeeper Asmir Avdukic. "It maybe looks strange, but it is our reality," Susic told Herald Sport. "Almost a third of our population were forced to leave during the war. Add the people of Bosnian descent that already lived abroad and you have bigger base to pick out than from back home."

Just two years ago, Bosnian football had sunk to its nadir. After the federation officials declined UEFA and FIFA requirements to change the system of organisation (the federation had, along with every other Bosnian institution, tripartite presidency - all three ethnic groups, Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs, had their own), the country was on the verge of suspension. The governing bodies suspended all the individuals, installed a normalisation committee led by Ivica Osim - the last Yugoslav coach and one of the most influential people in Balkan football - and ordered them to create a new federation from scratch. "It was a turning point," says Susic. "The domestic football is progressing, the league is getting better, the organization as well. But, still, we have to search for the players abroad."

What singles Bosnia and Herzegovina out from similar small football nations is that they are not in the market for young players. On the contrary, they are forced to, supposedly, steal players from other countries. Begovic was raised in Canada, Pjanic was the product of Luxembourg football, Ibisevic was educated in the USA and most of the players - perhaps apart from Dzeko, who left for the Czech Republic at 18 - are products of other countries.

The latest "capture" was Izet Hajrovic, who played a friendly for Switzerland before switching to Bosnia and scoring last month's winner in Slovakia. "It is not something we want to do, we are forced to do it because of the war. I sincerely hope we'll have new players at the World Cup," admits Susic, likely referring to Germany U20 left-back Sead Kolasinac, who has applied for Bosnian citizenship.

Bosnia and Herzegovina could easily be a dark horse in Brazil. They have the simple ambition to "score more than the opponent, no matter the price" and will travel with no expectations. "What we've done so far is great," says Dzeko. "But we are going to show our true power at the World Cup."