SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Levi’s Stadium’s capacity crowd, dressed in a red-white-and-blue bouquet, rose in unison and wildly celebrated Malik Tillman’s incredulous, insurance goal that would secure the United States’ path to the World Cup’s Round of 16.
Those fans remained on their feet until the undermanned USA side emerged with a 2-0, ultra-intense victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Next stop is in Seattle for a July 6 date against Belgium, which improbably won there Wednesday with a 3-2 comeback over Senegal.
That the U.S. is advancing is historic, seeing how it won only one of its previous eight knockout-phase games in World Cup history. Making it loom larger in American lore is the fact this shutout came about playing a man down the final 30-plus minutes.
It wasn’t until Tillman banged home his goal, on a free kick just outside the penalty box in the 82nd minute, that the U.S. seemed relatively out of danger of a shocking collapse and exit as co-host.
Less than 20 minutes before Tillman’s offensive heroics, Folarin Balogun was aghast as he walked off the field with the U.S. clinging to a 1-0 lead, an advantage that came about because of his 45th-minute goal.
His 64th-minute ejection forced his teammates to play a man down the remainder, and while they survived here, they’ll also be without him next match.
U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese made three saves, but including one just minutes after Balogun forced the U.S. into a missing-man formation of four defenders, four midfielders and Christian Pulisic up top.
The goal that bailed out the U.S. came when Tilliman’s right-footed blast powered past the top of a Bosnian wall and inside the left post. Boom. Just like that, breathing room.
Only a few minutes earlier, the U.S. thought it had a 2-0 lead but an offside call nullified a 79th-minute goal by Pulisic.
The game, and possibly the United States’ tournament fate, seemed in jeopardy once a 61st-minute replay review (Video Assistant Referee) resulted in Balogun’s red card. In challenging Tarik Muharemovic for the ball, Balogun’s right foot stomped on Muhareovic’s right heel.
Balogun’s fancy footwork broke a scoreless deadlock 45 minutes into the action, booting a left-footed shot through the outstretched legs of Bosnian goalkeeper Niola Vasilj. Balogun, just inside the penalty box, collected Malik Tillman’s pass that deflected off Bosnia’s Muharemovic. That play effectively started once defender Tim Rheam tracked down a goal kick near the half line, then passed up to Tyler Adams for a nonchalant, back-heel to Tillman.
Balogun, some eight minutes later, nearly sent the U.S. into halftime with a 2-0 lead, only for his close-range shot to careen off the crossbar.
It was Balogun who scored the United States’ first two goals – after an opening-minutes own goal by Paraguay — in their 4-1 victorious World Cup debut three weeks ago.
Thirty minutes into this match, fans booed over a no-call when Balogun went down in the penalty box upon being kicked in the shin. A minute later, he appeared to score on a 16-yard shot that screamed inside the right post, only to get caught offside before Weston McKennie’s cross.
Tensions rose in the final minutes before halftime, with Adams getting struck in the head by an elbow, then a few minutes later it was Adams’ knee slamming into the face of Bosnia forward Kerim Alajbegovic.
NOTES
— It will be the third World Cup meeting between the U.S. and Belgium — the U.S. won 3-0 debuting in the initial 1930 tournament, and Belgium prevailed 2-1 in the 2014 Round of 16 despite Tim Howard’s record 16 saves.
— Belgium owns a seven-match win streak against the U.S. since that 1930 shutout in Montevideo, Uruguay. Just three months ago, Belgium routed the U.S. 5-2 in a World Cup tune-up in Atlanta.
— A couple thousand Bosnian fans, most in royal blue shirts, wedged into the south-end stands. They were otherwise surrounded by red-white-and-blue beaming U.S. fans who accounted for roughly 95% of the stadium’s 68,827 capacity. That overwhelming presence belted out the U.S. national anthem, rather than have an individual singer do the honors like at 49ers’ games played here since 2014.
— Two fans draped a banner from the third-deck railing that read: “WHY NOT US?” (The first two words were in blue and the “US” in red on a white sheet.)
— The Group D-winning U.S. side entered 1-7 all-time in the World Cup’s elimination rounds, winning only in 2002 Korea’s Round of 16 by dispatching Mexico 2-0.
— Aside from losing in the inaugural 1930 World Cup’s semifinals 6-1 to Argentina, all other Team USA exits came in the Round of 16: 1934 (7-1, vs. Italy), 1994 (1-0, Brazil), 2002 (1-0, Germany), 2010 (2-1, Ghana), 2014 (2-1, Belgium), and, 2022 (3-1, Netherlands).
— Forward Christian Pulisic returned to the U.S. starting lineup since the World Cup opener in which he aggravated a calf injury. Edin Džeko, Boznia’s 40-year-old striker and all-time leading scorer, made his first start of this World Cup after subbing in their last two games; Džeko was among three Bosnians rotated out six minutes after halftime.
— Pulisic attacked for the first U.S. shot, dribbling toward the top of the penalty box and having his fourth-minute attempt deflected for an unproductive corner kick.
— Bosnia, which created a corner kick in the opening seconds, forced Freese into action 10 minutes into the action. Freese first punched clear an Ermedin Demirovic blast following a long goal kick, then Kerim Alajbegovic’s ensuing corner kick curled toward the net before Freese acrobatically swiped it clear.
