USA beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 in round of 16

Bosnia's defensive setup

Bosnia and Herzegovina, who had surprisingly advanced to the knockout phase as third in the group behind the USA and Switzerland and faced the co-host there, initially defended with a five-man back line. Coach Sergej Barbarez, once a feared goal-scorer in the German Bundesliga, had switched his team to a three- or five-man defensive line and made three changes compared to the previous match: Muharemović returned to central defense after his red-card suspension, Gigović replaced Bašić in central midfield, and Dedić started for Bajraktarević. The Bosnians, competing for the first time in a World Cup knockout round and only in their second World Cup appearance overall, relied on counterattacks and compact defending.

In vain: Alajbegović did produce an extraordinary chance in the 12th minute with a directly struck corner kick that Freese punched away. In the 29th minute, Balogun went down in the box after light contact from Dedić, but referee Raphael Claus of Brazil, after a brief VAR check, did not award a penalty. A would-be Balogun goal in the 31st minute was also ruled out for offside, as was a later apparent goal by Pulišić in the 78th minute.

Balogun's eventful evening

The decisive moment before the break was shaped by Weston McKennie, the only player who kept his place in the starting XI from the match against Turkey. His through ball was deflected by two defenders and eventually reached Stjepan Radeljic, who unfortunately served the ball back to Balogun. The 24-year-old AS Monaco striker, who had already had a regular finish ruled out for offside before the break, scored in the 45th minute to make it 1-0. It was already his third goal of the tournament.

After the interval, the game tilted even further in the USA's favor – and then against them. In the 51st minute, Bosnia's captain and record goal-scorer Edin Džeko, the 40-year-old veteran, had to be substituted due to injury. In the 64th minute came the flashpoint: Balogun went down in a running duel with Muharemović, a former WAC player. After VAR review, referee Claus showed the red card for a foul on the ankle and/or knee of the opponent. The USA played around 30 minutes a man down. "Das ist kein guter Einsatz des VAR. Das war ein Unfall und für mich keine Rote Karte," Pochettino criticized the decision afterward. Former English top referee Mark Clattenburg also expressed criticism during the Fox broadcast.

Outlook against Belgium

Despite being a man down, the USA held on to their narrow lead until Malik Tillman of Bayer Leverkusen converted a free kick in the 82nd minute. The shot, as observers noted, was not particularly well-placed and was certainly saveable, but it went in to make it 2-0. "Das Spiel hat unseren Charakter gezeigt. Wir sind immer füreinander da," Tillman said after the final whistle. "Wir wollen so weit kommen, wie es möglich ist. Hoffentlich geht es noch sehr weit." In stoppage time, Alajbegović and Ermin Mahmic missed two good chances for the Bosnians, who ultimately failed to score.

With the win, the USA advanced to the round of 16 as the third co-host after Canada and Mexico and will face Belgium on Tuesday evening (Swiss time) in Seattle. The Belgians had earlier prevailed in a spectacular comeback against Senegal and were considered the next big obstacle. However, the USA will be without Balogun in the round of 16, as he is automatically suspended after his red card. Without the Monaco striker, who had been one of the most prominent US players with three tournament goals, the attack against the "Red Devils" will need to be reshuffled.

Bosnia's historic journey

For Bosnia and Herzegovina, the tournament ended after a historic qualification. Only in World Cup qualifying had the "Dragons," also known as "Zmajevi," beaten four-time world champions Italy in the playoff final and traveled to a World Cup for the second time ever after 2014. "Wir sind als komplette Underdogs gekommen. Wir wollten etwas Großartiges schaffen, und das haben wir geschafft," Barbarez summed up, whose team had drawn 1-1 with Canada in their opener in Toronto, then lost to Switzerland, and beaten Qatar 3-1 in the decisive group match. "Für uns ist das alles ein Bonus. Aber klar: Unser Ziel ist es, das Spiel zu gewinnen," the coach had said before the match, "ich glaube, wir sind selbstbewusst genug, um das zu schaffen".