World Cup hosts USA secured their place in the round of 16 with a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina despite the sending off of their star player, Folarin Balogun.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men were comfortably the better team in the San Francisco Bay Area as they recorded their first knockout win since reaching the quarter-finals in 2002.
After a goal was disallowed earlier, US star Balogun opened the scoring at the end of the first half, scoring his third goal of the tournament.
However, it looked as if the match might turn in Bosnia’s favor when, after a VAR review, Balogun was shown a straight red card for a serious, though likely accidental, foul on Tarik Muhremovic.
However, Bosnia never threatened to capitalize on their numerical superiority, and Malik Tillman’s free kick sealed the USA’s place in the next round.
You will face the United States Belgium in the round of 16 in Seattle next Tuesdaywhen the absence of the now suspended Balogun is even more telling.
Divergent fortunes for Balogun and the United States, ending a 24-year wait
Pochettino’s side were frustrated for most of the first half by Bosnia’s well-organised defence, which appeared to have been broken down in the 31st minute when Balogun slotted into the bottom right corner, but his set-piece effort was ruled out by the assistant referee.
But after 14 minutes Balogun had the chance when Tilleman’s pass was deflected into his path, and the Monaco striker made no mistake to open the scoring.
Balogun could have scored the second goal in stoppage time of the first half, but his shot from close range after Serginho Dest’s pass hit the crossbar.
Balogun’s evening worsened when he was sent off after a lengthy VAR check for inadvertently twisting Muhrimovic’s ankle on the turf as both players positioned themselves in a fight for the ball.
However, even without him, the home side were the more dangerous side, denying Christian Pulisic after a brilliant attack from an offside position.
But eight minutes before the end of normal time, Tilleman took advantage of Bosnia’s poor discipline on the edge of his own penalty area when he lifted a deft free-kick over the defensive wall and beat Nikola Vasiliy, who failed to clear the ball despite receiving the ball.
Bosnia threatened to halve the deficit with a flurry of good efforts from distance, but could do nothing to prevent their home crowd from having the chance to celebrate a historic victory that sets the stage for a thrilling round of 16 encounter in the Pacific Northwest, albeit one that looks less winnable without Balogun.
