Bosnia and Herzegovina captain Edin Dzeko has his name engraved on fifa world cup Although his team faced an uphill battle against the United States in the last 32, he became the oldest outfield player ever to start in a men’s World Cup knockout round.At the age of 40 years and 106 days, the experienced forward surpassed all previous outfield players who entered the knockout rounds and became the first outfield player over 40 years old to appear in the knockout rounds of the World Cup.However, this milestone may prove to be one of the short-lived in the history of the championship. if Luke Modric (40 years and 296 days) starting in Croatia or cristiano ronaldo (41 years and 147 days) was named to the Portuguese’s starting lineup for 32 games in Vancouver, and less than 24 hours later, both veterans would surpass Dzeko’s record.However, the historic night took a painful turn early in the second half.Five minutes after the restart, Bosnia briefly stopped play when Dzeko went down clutching his leg with what appeared to be a non-contact injury. The inspirational skipper was unable to continue and was substituted, bringing an unfortunate end to his landmark appearance.Folarin Balogun’s goal in first-half stoppage time gave the United States a 1-0 lead. The striker reacted fastest to a loose ball in the box to score his third goal of the tournament and give the hosts a crucial advantage heading into the closing stages.The game then took another dramatic turn when Balogun was sent off directly after a VAR review, reducing the U.S. team to 10 players in the final half hour of regular time. The dismissal gave Bosnia new hope as they battled for an equalizer, with the team now focused on protecting their slim lead.Whatever the final outcome, Dzeko’s emergence has already secured a place in the World Cup record books – even if that achievement could be surpassed within a day if Modric or Ronaldo start for their respective countries.
