USA 2-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina: Balogun and Tillman Fire USA into World Cup Last 16

USA faced Bosnia and Herzegovina in a crucial Round of 32 tie at Bay Stadium in San Francisco. The visitors had already achieved their best-ever World Cup performance by reaching the knockout stage, surpassing their group-stage exit at the 2014 World Cup.

The Stars and Stripes named a strong starting line-up, with talisman Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun, Antonee Robinson and Sergiño Dest all returning after being rested for the final Group D match, which ended in a 3-2 defeat to Türkiye. Bosnia, meanwhile, featured two familiar names to Premier League supporters in Edin Džeko and Sead Kolašinac.

Bosnia started brightly, forcing USA centre-back Chris Richards to concede a corner inside the opening minute. Three minutes later, AC Milan star Christian Pulisic saw an effort blocked, earning the USA their first corner of the evening. Six minutes later came the first shot on target, with Bosnia striker Ermedin Demirović forcing Matt Freese into an excellent save.

In the 31st minute, Folarin Balogun found the back of the net, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside, much to the frustration of the USA players and supporters. However, Balogun did get his goal in the 45th minute, finishing confidently from inside the penalty area.

The AS Monaco striker almost doubled his tally moments later, but his effort sailed over the crossbar in first-half stoppage time.

The USA suffered an injury scare when captain Tyler Adams went down following a collision. Fortunately, he was able to continue and returned for the second half, giving Mauricio Pochettino and his teammates a huge sigh of relief.

Five minutes into the second half, Bosnia made a triple substitution in an attempt to get back into the game. Legendary striker Edin Džeko, along with midfielders Armin Gigović and Ivan Šunjić, all made way.

In the 64th minute, goalscorer Balogun was shown a red card following a VAR review after an unintentional challenge on Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemović, with his boot catching the Sassuolo centre-back.

The striker was understandably upset as he left the field and was consoled by substitutes Giovanni Reyna and Timothy Weah. It was only the second red card of his professional career, the first having come while playing for AS Monaco in Ligue 1.

Following the dismissal, Bosnia enjoyed far more possession but struggled to create clear-cut opportunities despite their aerial dominance.

The USA thought they had added a second in the 80th minute through Christian Pulisic, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

Two minutes later, however, Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Malik Tillman produced a superb free-kick to double the USA’s lead and all but secure victory.

Substitutes Giovanni Reyna, Sebastian Berhalter and Ricardo Pepi were introduced to help see out the game while also looking to add a third goal.

Final score: USA 2-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The United States make history by recording their first World Cup knockout victory against European opposition and their first appearance in the Round of 16 since 2002. They will now face Belgium, who came from two goals down to defeat AFCON finalists Senegal on Monday 6 July in Seattle.

Rudi Garcia’s side, featuring the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Leandro Trossard and Jérémy Doku, will provide a much sterner test for the Stars and Stripes.

However, Mauricio Pochettino has instilled confidence throughout the squad, although the suspension of leading scorer Folarin Balogun could prove costly. Either Ricardo Pepi or Haji Wright now looks set to lead the line against Belgium.