A puff of the cheeks, a drop of the shoulders and a sumptuous dipper to seal the deal. It may have been somewhat of a surprise when, eight minutes from time and 20 yards out, Christian Pulisic did not step up to take a free-kick just outside the Bosnia and Herzegovina penalty area. But US midfielder Malik Tillman made a mockery of such thoughts and, with it, secured American progression to the last-16 of the World Cup 2026. Their World Cup.
It is a first knockout victory in 24 years and just their second in World Cup history. And yet, five days out from a rip-roaring last-16 tie against Belgium, there is a rather big but.
Amongst 70,000, Folarin Balogun was one of thousands bemused. Some were downright angry. After jumping to his feet post-medical treatment, Mauricio Pochettino’s star striker – who scored the opening goal in the first-half, his third of the tournament – received a red card from Brazilian referee Raphael Claus for “serious foul play” midway through the second-half. Replays, aired at excruciatingly super-slow motion, showed Balogun’s foot scrape down the calf of Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemovic amidst a tangle of legs. On the field, the official did not even give a free- kick before the controversial VAR referral. There were no Bosnian appeals.
Regrettably, this is where we are with the game now. What can be given as a foul on the pitch for a near-identical tackle by Lionel Messi in Argentina’s opening game against Algeria can now be upgraded to a red after a video review when, at first glance, it was the most innocuous of coming-togethers; nothing more than a typical footballing mishmash of legs. For Balogun, the Londoner born in New York who has been one of the tournament’s revelations to this point, it is the cruellest of knockout blows. He will now be suspended for Monday’s match against Belgium in Seattle, appeal dependent.
On a Californian evening which should have ended in unencumbered joy, it left a sour taste in the mouth. Balogun becomes the first player to score and be sent off in a World Cup match since Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 final. That decision was somewhat more unambiguous. Still, “Take Me Home, Country Roads” bellowed out across this sun-soaked stadium at full-time. A high-pitched finale to a high-octane occasion.
It is a first knockout victory in 24 years and just their second in World Cup history. And yet, five days out from a rip-roaring last-16 tie against Belgium, there is a rather big but.
Amongst 70,000, Folarin Balogun was one of thousands bemused. Some were downright angry. After jumping to his feet post-medical treatment, Mauricio Pochettino’s star striker – who scored the opening goal in the first-half, his third of the tournament – received a red card from Brazilian referee Raphael Claus for “serious foul play” midway through the second-half. Replays, aired at excruciatingly super-slow motion, showed Balogun’s foot scrape down the calf of Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemovic amidst a tangle of legs. On the field, the official did not even give a free- kick before the controversial VAR referral. There were no Bosnian appeals.
Regrettably, this is where we are with the game now. What can be given as a foul on the pitch for a near-identical tackle by Lionel Messi in Argentina’s opening game against Algeria can now be upgraded to a red after a video review when, at first glance, it was the most innocuous of coming-togethers; nothing more than a typical footballing mishmash of legs. For Balogun, the Londoner born in New York who has been one of the tournament’s revelations to this point, it is the cruellest of knockout blows. He will now be suspended for Monday’s match against Belgium in Seattle, appeal dependent.
On a Californian evening which should have ended in unencumbered joy, it left a sour taste in the mouth. Balogun becomes the first player to score and be sent off in a World Cup match since Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 final. That decision was somewhat more unambiguous. Still, “Take Me Home, Country Roads” bellowed out across this sun-soaked stadium at full-time. A high-pitched finale to a high-octane occasion.
3 months ago
