Tag: Edin Dzeko

Dzeko Becomes First Bosnian To Reach 100 Caps

Dzeko Makes History With 100 Bosnia Caps

 

Bosnia and Herzegovina captain Edin Dzeko became the first player from his country to reach 100 international caps in their opening Euro 2020 qualifier against Armenia on Saturday.

A brief ceremony was held before the game in Sarajevo to honour the striker, who is also his country’s record scorer with 55 goals.

The 33-year-old was presented with a shirt bearing the number ‘100’, and a bouquet of flowers.

“It’s definitely a special match for me, because it’s the 100th, and more so at my stadium, where I started my career,” said Dzeko, whose first club was Bosnian outfit Zaljeznicar.

He made his Bosnia debut on June 2, 2007.

Dzeko is currently playing his club football for Italian giants Roma, having previously won two English Premier League titles with Manchester City and a German Bundesliga crown while at Wolfsburg.

AFP

Dzeko Strikes To Take Roma Into Champions League Last Eight

Dzeko Strikes To Take Roma Into Champions League Last Eight
Roma’s Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko celebrates at the end of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg football match against Shakhtar Donetsk on March 13, 2018. Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP

 

Roma reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in 10 years as Edin Dzeko edged them past Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 at the Stadio Olimpico on Tuesday and allowed the Italians to win the tie on away goals.

The Bosnian striker’s 52nd-minute goal proved enough after a 2-1 first-leg loss in Ukraine, with 10-man Shakhtar failing to find the late strike they needed after Ivan Ordets was sent off late on.

Cengiz Under’s goal in the first leg last month ultimately proved crucial for Roma, but Dzeko was the hero on the night and also proved instrumental in Shakhtar defender Ordets being shown a straight red card with 12 minutes left.

That sending-off led to tensions spilling over, with Shakhtar’s Facundo Ferreyra picking up a booking for shoving a ballboy over an advertising board.

Eusebio Di Francesco’s side are the second Italian team to advance to the quarter-finals after Juventus, with the draw for the last eight taking place on Friday.

“The standing ovation is not for me but for everyone, we are deservedly in the quarter-finals,” said Dzeko of the applause which accompanied him off the pitch.

“We managed to do something Roma hadn’t in 10 years, so going forward to play against the best makes us all very proud.

“We are among the eight best sides in Europe.”

Roma did not concede a goal at home in the group stage and hammered Chelsea 3-0 at the Stadio Olimpico, so the home fans in the crowd of 47,693 would have been confident their side could get the job done.

The Ukrainians dominated early possession though, and there was a scare for the hosts when Alessandro Florenzi nearly nodded a free-kick into his own net.

Ferreyra then came close after Federico Fazio lost the ball just outside his own box before Roma struck seven minutes into the second half.

Kevin Strootman sent Dzeko through as Shakhtar tried without success to play the offside trap, and the Bosnian forward prodded a shot through the legs of goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov and into the net for his fourth goal in the Champions League this season.

Dzeko was then brought down by Ordets who got a straight red card for his troubles, making Shakhtar’s task that bit harder.

– Roma pounce on mistake –

“We knew that sooner or later they would make a mistake and we’d pounce on it,” said Roma coach Di Francesco.

“If we face any opponent with this attitude and determination, we can go far.”

“Roma made the most of a single moment,” said Shakhtar coach Paulo Fonseca.

“Dzeko, of course, was a key player, but apart from his goal they didn’t have a chance, we had possession. If we had finished off the chances we had in the first leg the match would already have been over.”

Roma held on, and after Italy’s shock failure to qualify for the World Cup, their progress to the last eight along with Juventus is a boost for the country.

There have not been two Italian clubs in the quarter-finals of the Champions League since 2006/07, when Roma joined eventual winners AC Milan in the last eight.

There will also be at least three Italian coaches in the quarter-finals — Di Francesco, Massimiliano Allegri of Juventus and Vincenzo Montella of Sevilla.

Di Francesco added: “I spoke with Montella a few days ago and we said we’d meet in the final.”

Antonio Conte could make that four with his Chelsea side facing Barcelona on Wednesday.

Iheanacho Delighted After Scoring Hat-Trick

iheanachoSuper Eagles player, Kelechi Iheanacho, has expressed the hope of sustaining his FA Cup momentum after scoring a hat-trick for Manchester City in their 4-0 victory over Aston Villa at Villa Park.

It is Iheanacho’s first hat-trick at City and he said he was hopeful of more to come.

At the post match conference, the Nigerian confirmed that it was a great feeling when the fans chant his name and believed that it would motivate him to improve.

Manchester City Manager, Manuel Pellegrini, was full of praise for the young player, saying the club allowed Stevan Jovetic and Edin Dzeko to leave because they knew Iheanacho had quality.

City will play against Sunderland in their next match on Tuesday.

Premier League: Dzeko Expresses Cautious Optimism Ahead Of Arsenal Test

Premier LeagueManchester City’s defence of their English Premier League title is firmly in the back of striker, Edin Dzeko’s mind.

The new Bosnia-Herzegovina captain, who scored a sublime solo goal for his country in their 3-0 win over Liechtenstein on Thursday, has continued his impressive start to the 2014/15 season.

As well as discussing his new role as national team skipper, the 28-year old has also been weighing up chances of winning a third Barclay’s Premier League title in four seasons, with City’s trip to Arsenal just days away.

Speaking to the club’s official website, Dzeko declared, “It will be difficult, but I’m an optimist.

“As with every season, there are several teams that will battle for the title of champions in England.

“This season Chelsea might be the most serious challenger, but we mustn’t ignore Liverpool, Tottenham, Arsenal, or United, who will certainly be much stronger than last year.

“After all, everyone has gotten stronger, and everyone wants to be first.”

Edin’s role in City landing a second title in three years last season can hardly be overestimated, given his five goals in the last four games of the league run-in.

The striker penned a new deal which will keep him at the Etihad Stadium until at least 2018, following a season which he described as one of his best-ever.

“The past season was one of the best in my career, and in the end we reached the title of champions of England, the second in the past three seasons,” the 28-year old said.

“We succeeded in winning the Capital One Cup and I am really happy how everything played out in the past season, both for the club and for myself.

“As far as the contract, in general I had no dilemma around an extension.

“I am happy at City, the manager believes in me, which is certainly important, and I give my all on the pitch and altogether it means quite a lot to me, because Manchester is a club with great ambitions and I easily decided to stay put.”

Edin succeeded Emir Spahic as national team captain in the summer, following Bosnia’s unfortunate group stage exit from the World Cup in Brazil.

On the captaincy, Edin said: “I would be lying when I say that it isn’t the dream of every player, including me.

“I will give my all to replace Spahic in an adequate manner. I am aware that with the captain’s armband comes greater responsibility, and I will work hard to prove in the best way that I didn’t become captain by accident.

“I believe I can fulfil all expectations, both of the manager and of fans, my teammates, the media, and my own. I wouldn’t be here today if I doubted myself.

“Together with the Belgians, we are the favorites, but Israel should not be forgotten and certainly not underestimated, as they are known to be very unpleasant on their home field, nor Wales, who in their ranks have players like Bale and Ramsey.

“We were at the World Cup, we saw what it means, and it is great experience for us that will help us in the future.

“Our goal is France, and it should be taken seriously.”

Mancini encourages City boys after Real defeat

Despite a disappointing start of the Champions League campaign, Manchester City boss Roberto Macini has asked his City lads to show more courage as it was the only mistake his team made while on the field with Real Madrid which the Spanish club claimed with a 3-2 final score.

Mancini said his boys defended too deep to allow the Spanish champions the chance to win the game.

Manchester City were the favoured side from the beginning of the clash in Bernabeu after Aleksandar Kolarov’s free kick in the 85th minute had restored a lead initially won by Edin Dzeko in the 69th minute but cancelled out by Marcelo’s deflected strike seven minutes later.

However, substitute Karim Benzema equalised again for Real and just as injury time started Cristiano Ronaldo’s dipping shot gave Real the win. Mancini felt that his team defended too deep to allow the Spanish champions the chance to win the game.

The Italian said his team losing to a side a great Real Madrid is not the difficult part, but the fact that it was four minutes away from the final whistle the score line was in favour of Manchester City and it was obvious that Manchester City was the dominant team in the second half where they got the two goal lead, admitting that Real Madrid had the first half to themselves.

AC Milan in talks with Man. City over Dzeko – Agent

Bosnia and Herzegovina international Edin Dzeko’s agent, Sead Susic has confirmed that Italian Giant AC Milan are in transfer talk with recent EPL winners Manchester City over the striker.

This is coming after the agreed transfer of Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Paris Saint-Germain in a reported 23-million-euro deal by the Italian giants.

Dzeko’s transfer to Milan is more than likely because there’s an urgent need for a replacement which why Edin Dzeko is AC Milan’s main priority right now, his agent Sead Susic said.

Dzeko signed for the Premier League club only last off-season after impressing at Wolfsburg, but it is believed that he has been deemed surplus to requirements by City manager Roberto Mancini.

Sead said there has been continued talks and the conclusion of talks will be in the next few days as Dezeko himself love the Serie A and AC Milan too apart from that, the deal is 70% possible.

Edin Dzeko not leaving Man. City – Agent

There has been widespread speculation that Manchester City and Bosnian star Edin Dzeko will be moving on to another club tentatively Italy, after falling from the top allowing the likes of Aguero and Tevez take his shine.

Dzeko joined City in January 2011, after an extremely successful spell at Wolfsburg, but has largely struggled for form since, scoring just 16 goals in 45 games.

The striker’s agent Irfan Redzepagic said the Bosnian striker who left German club Wolfsburg to come and strike for Manchester City is keen to remain in England even though he is rated behind Sergio Aguero, Mario Balotelli and Carlos Tevez in the pecking order.

Specualtion of the hitman’s movement from Manchester City started to grow when his agent met with Giuseppe Marotta; the manager of Juventus with an eye for an imminent move to Turin came into the picture but later the agent stressed that Dzeko is happy in England and has no immediate plans to leave City.

“But Edin plans to stay at Manchester City. I recently spoke with Marotta, but we talked about other things and we have not talked about Dzeko, because he wants to play in England at City. I think Edin won’t leave City, Irfan Redzepagic concluded.”