USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina, FIFA World Cup match result: 10-man USA beat Bosnia for only second knockout win in history despite Balogun’s red card

American Malik Tillman (17) celebrates with teammates after scoring a free kick. (AP photo) The United States overcame second-half adversity to beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 on Wednesday night to secure just the second World Cup knockout stage victory in the country’s history despite playing with 10 men for the final 26 minutes following Folarin Balogun’s controversial red card.Balogun opened the scoring with his third goal of the tournament before being sent off midway through the second half, but Malik Tillman produced a stunning late free-kick to seal a memorable Round of 32 triumph and send the hosts into the last 16 of the expanded 48-team tournament.Victory sets up a sensational clash with Belgium in Seattle on Monday as Mauricio Pochettino’s side continue their dream of a deep World Cup run on home soil.

Balogun shines ahead of red card drama

The United States went into the game as favourites, but survived an early scare after goalkeeper Matt Freese produced two crucial saves to deny Ermedin Demirovic, while Kerim Alajbegovic also threatened from a corner.Once the hosts settled in, Balogun took center stage.The striker had one goal ruled out for offside and twice appealed for penalties before finally breaking the deadlock just before half-time. Tim Ream seized possession near midfield before Malik Tillman slipped a clever pass into the box to allow Balogun to finish with his left foot past Nikola Vasilj for his third goal of the tournament.The hit left him just one goal shy of Bert Patenaude’s long-standing record of four goals by an American player in a single World Cup in 1930. Balogun celebrated with his version of LeBron James’ iconic “Silencer” gesture, earning an approving reaction from the NBA superstar.However, the evening took a dramatic turn in the 64th minute. Balogun was shown a straight red card for a challenge on Tarik Muharemovic, forcing the hosts to play the rest of the game down a man.

Tillman sealed the famous victory

Despite their numerical disadvantage, the Americans remained composed defensively and thwarted Bosnia’s attempts to equalize.The decisive moment came in the 82nd minute when Tillman curled a superb free kick just outside the penalty area. Vasilj was able to push through but could only assist into the net as Levi’s Stadium erupted in celebration.The win ended a miserable run against European opposition at the World Cup. The United States has not beaten a European team in the tournament since defeating Portugal in 2002 and went 13 World Cup games without a win, including a heartbreaking overtime loss to Belgium in the round of 16 in 2014.It also snapped a 10-game winless streak against European World Cup opposition and marked just the second knockout stage triumph in men’s World Cup history for the US, following the famous 2002 Round of 16 victory over Mexico. The Americans had previously reached the semi-finals in the inaugural edition in 1930 after topping their group before the introduction of the knockout format.Bosnia, meanwhile, left with plenty of pride after reaching the knockout stages for the first time in just their second World Cup appearance, drawing with Canada and beating Qatar in the group stage.