Bosnia and Herzegovina fell short as the United States secured a place in the World Cup Round of 16, where they will face Belgium.
The drama in San Francisco ended in favor of the hosts, who claimed a 2-0 (1-0) victory.
The Americans were the better side throughout and showed they had enough quality to seal the win despite playing with 10 men.
Nearly 71,000 fans at San Francisco Bay Arena witnessed an eventful encounter that featured two goals awarded and later disallowed, a red card, an injury to Edin Džeko, and an outstanding performance from the United States.
The star of the match was Folarin Balogun. Most importantly, he broke the deadlock on the stroke of halftime, making the most of a fortunate rebound inside the penalty area before calmly finding the back of the net for 1-0.
Earlier in the match, Balogun had rattled Nikola Vasilj’s crossbar and consistently troubled Bosnia and Herzegovina’s defense with his pace and creativity. He also had a goal ruled out after timing his run behind the back line just past the half-hour mark.
Ironically, Balogun gave Sergej Barbarez’s side renewed hope midway through the second half when, after a VAR review, he was shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge.
However, the Americans responded with composure. They first absorbed Bosnia and Herzegovina’s pressure before extending their lead through Youri Tielemans, who unleashed a strike from the edge of the penalty area after a poor reaction from the Bosnian goalkeeper to make it 2-0.
The United States will now take on Belgium in the Round of 16. Teams that have already secured their places in the knockout stage include Canada, Brazil, Paraguay, Morocco, France, Norway, Mexico, England, and Belgium.
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Source: B92; Foto: REUTERS / Phil Noble