Ten-Man USA Show Character to See Off Bosnia and March into Last 16
Ten-Man USA Show Character to See Off Bosnia and March into Last 16
The United States produced a display of real resilience at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara on Wednesday evening, beating Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 in their World Cup Round of 32 clash to book their place in the last 16 — despite finishing the match with ten men.
The Americans dominated the first half without finding a way through, until the 45th minute when a fortunate deflection sent the ball into Folarin Balogun's path and the striker finished calmly beneath the advancing Nikola Vasilj to give the hosts a deserved lead. It was his third goal of the tournament, and the Estadio erupted.
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The second half, though, brought controversy. Balogun was issued a red card in the 64th minute after a VAR review determined he had committed serious foul play on Bosnia's Tarik Muharemović, catching him on the leg and ankle as the two challenged for the ball. Coach Mauricio Pochettino was visibly unhappy with the decision, saying afterwards: "For me, never was it a red card. Never was it the intention to step on the player. That was a normal action in football. It happened by accident."
Down to ten men and facing a nervy final half-hour, the United States dug in. Bosnia pressed and kept possession but, crucially, could not create clear-cut chances against a disciplined American rearguard. Malik Tillman then wrapped things up in the 82nd minute with a stunning free-kick that beat Vasilj all ends up Bay Area , putting the result beyond any doubt and sparking enormous relief among the home crowd.
The win was only the second World Cup knockout victory in the history of the United States men's national team, and their first against a European side since they beat Portugal in the 2002 group stage. They will now face Belgium in the Round of 16, with a place in the quarter-finals for the first time since 2002 at stake — though they will have to do it without Balogun, who is suspended for at least one match.
"We had to dig deep for that one," said Christian Pulisic. "It didn't go exactly to plan with the red card, but that just shows what a good team we are. This is what it takes to be a really strong team."
Bosnia, meanwhile, can hold their heads high after making the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time, but on the night they never truly looked capable of troubling a determined United States side.
America is through. And they are only just getting started.
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