Bosnia-Herzegovina captain Edin Džeko etched his name FIFA World Cup history despite his team facing an uphill battle against the United States in their Round of 32 clash, becoming the oldest outfield player to ever start a men’s World Cup knockout match.At 40 years and 106 days, the veteran striker surpassed all previous players from the field to participate in the knockout rounds, becoming the first field player aged 40 or older to appear in a World Cup knockout match.However, the stage could be one of the shortest in the history of the tournament. If Luka Modric (40 years, 296 days) starts for Croatia or Cristiano Ronaldo (41 years, 147 days) is named in Portugal’s starting XI for their respective Round of 32 matches in Vancouver, or veteran eclipsed Džeko’s record less than 24 hours later.The historic evening, however, took a painful turn early in the second half.Five minutes after the restart, Bosnia briefly put the ball out of play after Džeko went down clutching his leg following what appeared to be a non-contact injury. The inspirational captain was unable to continue and was substituted, bringing an unfortunate end to his iconic appearance.The United States lead 1-0 thanks to Folarin Balogun’s strike in first-half stoppage time. The striker reacted quickest to a loose ball in the penalty area to score his third goal of the tournament and give the hosts a crucial lead going into the final leg.The contest has since taken another dramatic turn, with Balogun shown a straight red card following a VAR review, reducing the United States to 10 men for the final half hour of regulation time. The dismissal gave Bosnia renewed hope as they push for an equalizer against a side now focused on protecting their slender boss.Regardless of the final result, Džeko’s appearance has already secured his place in the World Cup record books – although the achievement could one day be surpassed should Modric or Ronaldo start for their respective nations.