Edin Dzeko has criticised Bosnia-Herzegovina manager Safet Susic for making him play 90 minutes against Egypt on Wednesday despite being injured, and said the fans who booed him should be ashamed of themselves.
The Manchester City striker is his country’s 33-goal record scorer but was targeted by some supporters after their 2-0 defeat.
But Dzeko, 27, revealed he had been hampered by a minor knock and was surprised when asked to play the full game.
He wrote on his official Facebook page: "I came here with a niggling injury and Susic knew that, and he still didn't substitute me either at half-time, which was the plan, or after the break when I asked to be replaced.
"I don't know why he left me on the pitch for the full 90 minutes. I wish to thank all fans who support me but the others should be ashamed because I am a born winner and always played my heart out for the national team."
Susic felt the fans’ reaction was wrong, saying after the match: "Dzeko didn't deserve so much criticism for a poor performance in a friendly, as anyone can have a bad day. Many players had a bad day but the fan reaction was unfair as we missed several key players through injury.”
Dzeko, who played 90 minutes for City in Sunday’s Capital One Cup final win over Sunderland, scored 10 goals in qualifying as Bosnia-Herzegovina secured their place at this summer’s World Cup -- their first ever major tournament.