Dzeko

Artigo sobre Dzeko, ponta-de-lança da Bósnia no www.fifa.com, que demonstra mais uma vez a vontade dos bósnios em vencer este play-off. É certo que nos atribuem o favoritismo, mas como se diz popularmente"são palavras para boi adormecer".

With nine goals in the European Zone of FIFA World Cup™ qualifying, Bosnia-Herzegovina striker Edin Dzeko rates as one of the most prolific goal-getters on the continent, second only to ten-goal Greece's Theofanis Gekas. This year, the month of May 2009 to be precise, also brought Dzeko the greatest moment of his career to date, the German Bundesliga title with VfL Wolfsburg.

After moving to Teplice from Sarajevo, his city of birth, Dzeko joined Die Wölfe in 2007 and now has 38 goals in 71 appearances for the German champions. The 23-year-old boasts an even more impressive record for his country, with 14 goals in 21 appearances. And largely thanks to his sharp-shooting, Bosnia-Herzegovina's dream of a first-ever trip to the FIFA World Cup finals remains well and truly alive.

In European Zone Group 5, where the seemingly invincible Spanish reeled off ten wins out of ten to stroll off with top spot, Bosnia sealed second place ahead of two nations with far greater FIFA World Cup experience, two-time contenders Turkey, and 11-time finalists Belgium.

In the play-offs on 14 and 18 November, the men from the Balkans now face a daunting task against Portugal, who came fourth at the 2006 tournament. "Portugal are the team I really wanted to avoid," commented Bosnia coach Miroslav Blazevic in the wake of the play-off draw. We'll have to fight to the end in both matches. It'll be a huge spectacle though, that's for sure. Both teams are well known for their flowing football."