After two thrilling battles earlier in the day, the United States went head-to-head with Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday night.
The USMNT came into the game on an offensive hot streak, having scored a goal in the first 11 minutes of all three of their World Cup games so far.
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That offensive momentum was harder to get going on Wednesday, as Bosnia and Herzegovina played strong defense. On the other side of the ball, the U.S. returned the favor and the two teams went back-and-forth for most of the first half.
In the 45th minute, Folarin Balogun sent a shot past the goalkeeper off a deflection by another defender and gave the U.S. a 1-0 lead just before halftime.
Through the early portion of the second half, both teams went on attacks that were aggressive, but unsuccessful.
In the 62nd, minute, the U.S. lost a player when Balogun received a red card for stepping on Tarik Muharemović’s foot while battling for the ball.
Down to 10 players on the field, it looked like the USMNT could give up a late goal and be forced into extra time. But Stjepan Radeljic received a yellow card when het got tangled up with Sergiño Dest in the 80th minute.
On the free kick, Malik Tillman put it over the wall and into the net from 20 yards out to give the United States a 2-0 advantage.
In the final moments of regulation and through stoppage time, the USMNT was aggressive in its approach and maintained possession as much as possible.
Bosnia and Herzegovina got a few good looks in the final minutes, but couldn’t find the net.
When the final whistle was blown, the United States secured their first knockout stage win since 2002.
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
