Ireland warned that Edin Dzeko is Bosnia’s Cristiano Ronaldo

Striker Edin Dzeko is as important to Bosnia-Herzegovina as Cristiano Ronaldo is to Portugal, and he poses a major threat to Ireland in the Euro 2016 play-off tie.

So says recently-resigned Israel national coach Eli Guttman, whose team beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 3-0 in Haifa last year before losing 1-3 to Ireland’s opponents in Zenica during the Group B schedule of qualifying matches.

“The difference between the two matches was Dzeko,” Guttman explains. “He missed the first match through injury but was back for the second one. Without him Bosnia were weak.The impact his return made was incredible. Bosnia were completely transformed. The whole team is more confident when Dzeko’s there. He’s like the father and mother of the team. Like Ronaldo for Portugal, Dzeko can make the difference in any match. That’s how vital he is.”