USA vs. Bosnia: Balogun Scores, Sees Red as US Beats Bosnia 2-0

Folarin Balogun scored on the stroke of half-time and then saw red as the United States beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 in a World Cup knockout game. The match saw US players celebrate their historic win in the San Francisco Bay Area stadium, with over 30 million Americans watching across the nation.

The co-hosts' first knockout victory in nearly 25 years sets up a clash with Belgium in Seattle on Monday.

The match got off to an intense start, with Bosnia launching an immediate long ball. The US defense camped out on the halfway line, pushing forward aggressively. Despite Bosnia having the better early chances, it was the US who broke through first with Balogun's goal.

Balogun had a decent penalty shout for a clumsy tackle waved away. Soon after, American striker Weston McKennie's smart pass found Balogun, but he was offside. The near misses enlivened an increasingly anxious crowd but their nerves were soon reduced as Balogun scored in the 45th minute.

The US captain Tim Ream intercepted a Bosnian goal kick and swiftly played it to Malik Tillman, whose through ball deflected into the path of Balogun, who tucked it under the goalkeeper. Impressive holding midfielder Tyler Adams nearly created a second before the break, finding Sergino Dest who headed back to Balogun.

His shot from the six-yard line clipped the crossbar on its way over.

Just five minutes into the second half, Bosnia captain Edin Dzeko limped off. The Bosnian coach made a triple substitution, introducing a younger and more mobile front line.

However, Balogun's night took a drastic turn when he saw red after VAR intervened following a nasty clash with Bosnia's Tarik Muharemovic. The striker was harshly judged to have stamped on the back of Muharemovic's foot.

With the crowd stunned, Ermedin Demirovic spurned a chance to add insult to injury, shooting straight at the goalkeeper from a dangerous position. The US coach Mauricio Pochettino rallied his outnumbered troops to hold out for the game's final phase.

Despite being on the backfoot, Christian Pulisic put the ball in the net but was comfortably offside. And in the 82nd minute, Malik Tillman curled in a free kick to secure the win, with the Americans riding out a nervy 10 minutes of stoppage time.

The US ultimately held out for a clean sheet and a historic win, keeping alive their World Cup journey on home soil.