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Co-hosts United States booked their place in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 on Thursday, overcoming the second-half dismissal of striker Folarin Balogun.
Balogun opened the scoring just before half-time before being sent off after the break, but Malik Tillman’s late free-kick sealed victory at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium and sent the Americans into a last-16 showdown with Belgium.
The victory also ended a long wait for the United States, who claimed their first World Cup knockout victory since 2002 and their first win over European opposition in 11 matches.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side dominated much of the contest with energetic attacking football against a Bosnia side that offered little going forward for most of the match.
The breakthrough came in first-half stoppage time when Balogun reacted quickest to convert Tillman’s deflected pass beyond goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj. The Monaco striker had earlier seen another effort ruled out for offside but made no mistake with his second opportunity.
The complexion of the match changed in the 64th minute when Balogun was shown a straight red card after catching defender Tarik Muharemović high on the calf with his studs during a challenge.
Reduced to 10 men, the hosts briefly came under pressure but regained control before Tillman curled home a superb free-kick in the 82nd minute to put the result beyond doubt.
Christian Pulisic also thought he had doubled the Americans’ advantage earlier in the second half, only for his effort to be ruled out for offside.
Balogun’s dismissal means the United States will be without one of their standout performers when they face Belgium in Seattle on Monday for a place in the quarter-finals.
The 24-year-old has scored three goals in three World Cup matches and became the first player to score and receive a red card in a World Cup knockout fixture since Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 final.
Despite losing their leading scorer for the next round, the Americans produced another disciplined display under Pochettino and will head into the clash with Belgium full of confidence after extending their World Cup campaign.
