No surprises, USA beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0

Not every knockout game can be an upset or a thriller to the end, sometimes the favourites just get the job done and that’s just what the United States did today. They dominated Bosnia and Herzegovina over the two halves at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, with goals from Folarin Balogun and Malik Tilman on either side of the half time whistle. While the United States will be extremely happy with their performance, their win came with a bittersweet ending as the goalscorer Balogun was sent off with a red card in the 61st minute and will miss their next fixture in the knockout stages. 

It was a game without many surprises, something which has been a rare occurrence so far in the Round of 32 fixtures at this World Cup. While Bosnia fought till the end, it was plain to see that the United States were just better in every third of the pitch. There is a clear difference between Mauricio Pochettino’s team and the US teams of the past, and that is the clear identity and style that the Argentinian coach has managed to instil in this team. They no longer seem lost on the pitch and instead play with a clear vision which is very offensively minded. This was clear to see in the first half where they seemed to constantly challenge the Bosnian backline in their quest for the opener. While it took them a little longer than usual, they finally broke the deadlock through Balogun’s strike in the 45th minute. The striker had already found the back of the net in the 31st minute before the goal was eventually disallowed for offside. In what was another good example of the United States moving the ball well on offence, a threaded pass from Malik Tilman took a slight deflection from a Bosnian defender and ended up at Balogun feet in the box. With three blue shirts and the goalkeeper rushing him, the striker chose his moment well and put the ball through the keeper’s legs and into the net with his strike. The 1-0 scoreline going into the second half perfectly encapsulated the first 45 minutes where the United States’ steady and patient build-up made a goal seem inevitable. 

The second half should have been similarly smooth-sailing for the United States, if not for Balogun’s red card in the 61st minute. Tussling with Bosnian centre back Tarik Muharemovic to receive a long ball from his own half, Balogun’s attempt to get the ball led to him stepping on the ankle of Muharemovic. After checking with VAR, the referee showed Balogun a straight red card, which left the US with 10 men for the remaining 30 minutes. It’s going to be a decision that springs a lot of arguments over the next few days, as it seems to show the inconsistency of refereeing decisions at this World Cup. While Balogun’s actions are clearly a foul, Lionel Messi was caught in a similar incident against Algeria and he was only shown a yellow card. Referees at major tournaments should be consistent in the degree of penalisation for fouls of a similar nature, and when it takes place at such key moments for a team, it’s sure to be a source of controversy. Balogun became the first player to score a goal and get a red card in a World Cup knockout game since Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 finals. It will be interesting to see who Pochettino starts in his place against Belgium in their next game. One thing is for sure, whether it’s Haji Wright or Ricardo Pepi, they will have a big task on hand in replicating Balogun’s success in this tournament so far. 

The red card was a moment where the game could have been spun on its head for the United States. A man down and with only a single goal lead, Bosnia should have been more aggressive and decisive in taking this opportunity to level the game. However, the difference in quality between the two sides really showed as the US team seemed to handle the Bosnian attack even better after losing Balogun. They also didn’t stop attacking, which resulted in them winning a free-kick just outside the Bosnian box at the 80th minute. Malik Tilman, with a short run up, hit the ball plain and straight towards the near post and the Bosnian goalkeeper just could not get his hand to it. With that sensational strike, which almost seemed to have played out in slow motion, Tilman put the United States out of harm’s way, with a 2-goal buffer and less than 10 minutes left to play. 

For Bosnia, it’s a heartbreaking loss, but they never looked like they had the game in control today. Constantly chasing the United States and letting them dictate the tempo, it’s a disappointing way for this Bosnian team to bow out of the tournament. Still, it’s an impressive run for a team that qualified at the last minute, after knocking out giants Italy in the last round of the qualifiers. They didn’t crumble like Ecuador yesterday and tried their best over the 90 minutes, but it was a clear case of not being at the same level as the opposition today. 

With their win, the United States join co-hosts Mexico and Canada in the round of 16, an impressive stat for all three host nations. It marked just their second victory in the World Cup knockout stages (the last one being in 2002). They finally look like a team that could make a run towards the final eight, but the absence of their star forward Balogun will be a cause of concern when they face Belgium in the round of 16 at Seattle Stadium on July 6.