LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – Co-hosts United States booked their place in the World Cup round of 16 with a hard fought 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina despite playing more than 30 minutes with 10 men following Folarin Balogun’s dismissal.
Playing before a passionate home crowd at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, Mauricio Pochettino’s side broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time through Folarin Balogun.
The attacker with Nigerian origins calmly finished in the 45th minute after sustained American pressure.
Things were looking good for the hosts, but they suffered a major setback in the 64th minute when Balogun was shown a straight red card following a VAR review.
The sending off forced America on the back foot for the rest of the encounter.
Bosnia and Herzegovina pushed for an equaliser and created several openings,
However, the United States remained disciplined at the back, with goalkeeper Matt Freese and the defence producing crucial interventions to preserve their slender lead.
Any hopes of a Bosnian comeback were extinguished in the 82nd minute when Malik Tillman curled a superb free kick into the top corner to double the hosts’ lead and seal victory.
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The result ended the United States’ long wait for a FIFA World Cup knockout-stage victory, their first since the 2002 tournament.
It also meant all the co-hosts in the FIFA World Cup 2026 have secured a RO16 qualification.
USA will now face Belgium in the round of 16 at Seattle on Tuesday, July 7 for a place in the quarterfinals.
