The United States beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 at Bay Area Stadium in San Francisco to advance to the round of 16, only the second time in their history they have won a knockout match at the World Cup. They will face Belgium in the quarterfinal race on Monday in Seattle.
The US were the more attacking side from the start, controlling possession against a largely defensive Bosnian team. They created several chances in the first half, with one Folarin Balogun goal disallowed for offside and a penalty appeal waved away by the referee.
In the 45th minute, the breakthrough came. Bosnia’s goal kick was passed to captain Tim Ream at midfield, and Malik Tillman’s forward ball deflected off a Bosnian defender into Balogun’s path. The striker finished coolly to make it 1-0.
The match took a dramatic turn in the 64th minute when Balogun was shown a straight red card after a VAR review for a studs-up challenge on Tarik Muharemovic. The US were forced to play the final half-hour with 10 men.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, the hosts refused to retreat. In the 82nd minute, Tillman sealed the win with a curling free kick from just outside the box that beat goalkeeper Nikola Vasil, who got a hand to the ball but could not keep it out.
Bosnia pushed forward desperately in the closing minutes and added time, but the US defense held firm to secure a famous victory.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report