The United States overcame second-half adversity to defeat Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 on Wednesday night, securing just the second round. FIFA World Cup First knockout stage win in the nation’s history despite playing the last 26 minutes with 10 men following Folarin Balogun’s controversial red card.Balogun opened the scoring with his third goal of the tournament before being sent off midway through the second half, but Malik Tillman produced a stunning late free-kick to seal a memorable Round of 32 triumph and send the hosts into the last 16 of the 48-team tournament.The win sets up a mouth-watering clash against Belgium in Seattle on Monday as Mauricio Pochettino’s side continue their dream of a deep World Cup run on home soil.
Balogun shines ahead of red card drama
The United States entered the match as favourites, but survived an early scare after goalkeeper Matt Freese produced two crucial saves to deny Ermedin Demirovic, while Kerim Alajbegovic also threatened from a corner.Once the hosts settled down, Balogun took center stage.The striker had a goal ruled out for offside and penalty appeals on two separate occasions before finally breaking the deadlock just before half-time. Tim Ream intercepted possession near the center of the pitch before Malik Tillman slipped a clever pass into the box, allowing Balogun to slide a left-footed finish past Nikola Vasilj for his third goal of the tournament.The strike left him just one goal shy of Bert Patenaude’s long-standing record of four goals by an American player in a single World Cup, set in 1930. Balogun celebrated with his version of LeBron James’ iconic “Silencer” gesture, earning an approving reaction from the NBA superstar.However, the evening took a dramatic turn in the 64th minute. Balogun was shown a straight red card after a challenge on Tarik Muharemovic, forcing the hosts to play the remainder of the contest a man down.
Tillman seals the famous victory
Despite their numerical disadvantage, the Americans were composed defensively and frustrated Bosnia’s attempts to find an equalizer.The decisive moment came in the 82nd minute, when Tillman curled a brilliant free kick from just outside the penalty area. Vasilj was able to get a hand on the effort but could only help it into the net as Levi’s Stadium erupted in celebration.The win ended a miserable run against European opposition in the World Cup. The United States have failed to beat a European team in the tournament since defeating Portugal in 2002 and have gone 13 World Cup meetings without a win, including a heartbreaking overtime loss to Belgium in the Round of 16 in 2014.It also snapped a 10-game winless streak against European opponents at the World Cup and marked only the second knockout stage triumph in US men’s World Cup history after the famous 16-round win over Mexico in 2002. The Americans had reached the semi-finals in the inaugural edition in 1930 after their group before the introduction of the knockout format.Bosnia, meanwhile, went out with plenty of pride after reaching the knockout rounds for the first time in just their second World Cup appearance, having beaten Canada and Qatar during the group stage.