The United States overcame second-half adversity to defeat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 on Wednesday night, securing just the second half FIFA World Cup knockout stage win in the nation’s history despite playing the final 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 expanded 48-team tournament.The win sets up a challenging clash against Belgium in Seattle on Monday as Mauricio Pochettino’s side continue their dream of a deep run at the World Cup on home soil.
Balogun shines before the red card drama
The United States went into the game as favourites, but survived an early scare after goalkeeper Matt Freese made two key saves to deny Ermedin Demirovic, while Kerim Alajbegovic also threatened from a corner.After the hosts settled, Balogun took center stage.The forward had one goal ruled out for offside and twice went for penalties before finally breaking the deadlock just before half-time. Tim Ream cut possession near midfield before Malik Tillman flicked a smart pass into the box, allowing Balogun to finish with his left foot beyond Nikola Vasilja for his third goal of the tournament.The shot left him just one goal short 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 a reaction of approval from the NBA superstar.But the dramatic turn of the night happened in the 64th minute. Balogun received a straight red card after a challenge on Tarik Muharemović, forcing the hosts to play the rest of the contest with a man down.
Tillman sealed the famous victory
Despite their numerical disadvantage, the Americans remained composed in defense and thwarted Bosnia’s attempts to equalize.The decisive moment came in the 82nd minute when Tillman took a great free kick from the edge of the penalty area. Vasilj managed to step in for the try, but could only assist the goal as Levi’s Stadium erupted in celebration.The victory ended a miserable streak against a European opponent at the World Cup. The United States have not beaten a European team at 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 2014 in the Round of 16.It also ended a 10-match winless streak against European opposition at the World Cup and marked only the second knockout stage triumph in US men’s World Cup history after the famous 2002 victory over Mexico in the Round of 16. The Americans previously reached the semi-finals in the inaugural edition in 1930 after topping their group before the knockout format was introduced.Meanwhile, Bosnia came away with plenty of pride after reaching the knockout round for the first time in their second World Cup appearance, drawing with Canada and defeating Qatar during the group stage.
