Bosnia and Herzegovina legend Edin Džeko officially retired from international football after his team’s 1-1 draw with Sweden, bringing a storied career to an emotional close. It was a game filled with raw feeling and a near-fairytale ending that ultimately slipped away for the 40-year-old FC Schalke striker.
The atmosphere at Bilino Polje in Zenica was absolutely electric. Fans chanted Džeko’s name the entire game, and fireworks lit up the stadium in the 11th minute, a tribute to their long-serving number 11 on his 152nd appearance. Džeko, who was a Bundesliga champion with Wolfsburg back in 2008/09, started the match, and it looked like he was going to write his own perfect ending. He netted a goal in injury-time of the first half, a moment that had everyone on their feet. But then came the gut punch: the goal was ruled out because the ball went out of bounds before the delivery by ex-Bayer Leverkusen youngster Kerim Alajbegović. You could feel the air go out of the stadium.
After the hour mark, Džeko was substituted off, and the entire stadium rose to applaud him one last time, a deserved recognition for his incredible international service. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, with Alajbegović making up for the earlier disallowed play by cancelling out the opening goal from former St. Pauli striker Viktor Gyokeres. Both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Sweden are sitting at the top of Group A4, with neither team having lost a game yet. In the group’s other match, Robert Lewandowski showed out with a hat-trick as Poland beat ten-man Romania 6-0.
So Džeko’s international career comes to a close, a moment marked by fan adoration and a near-miss at a storybook finish. He is now set to return to Schalke. Poland is scheduled to host Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday, and it will definitely be a different look without their legendary captain.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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