USA 2-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina: 10-man hosts march into World Cup last 16
Folarin Balogun scored and saw red before Malik Tillman struck a brilliant free-kick to send 10-man USA past Bosnia and Herzegovina into the World Cup last 16.
Ten-man United States overcame a dramatic second-half red card to secure a spot in the World Cup last 16 with a gritty 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in Santa Clara.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side dominated the early possession but found clear chances hard to come by against a well-drilled Bosnian defense. The breakthrough finally arrived on the stroke of half-time when Folarin Balogun coolly rolled the ball home under goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj, sending the home crowd into raptures. The Monaco striker had already seen an earlier effort ruled out for a marginal offside.
The match shifted dramatically in the 64th minute when Balogun was shown a straight red card following a controversial challenge. The dismissal left the co-hosts facing a nervous final half-hour under intense pressure.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, the Americans showed great tactical discipline, drop-defending deep while leaning heavily on some desperate late blocks from central defender Chris Richards.
With Bosnia throwing men forward in search of an equalizer, the USA put the game to bed eight minutes from time. Malik Tillman stepped up to a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area and curled an exquisite, dipping effort into the net to seal progression.
Bosnia pressed through nine frantic minutes of stoppage time, with substitute Ermin Mahmic twice firing agonizingly wide, but the tournament co-hosts held firm to set up a mouthwatering last-16 clash against Belgium in Seattle on Monday.
