USA beat Bosnia 2-0 to reach last 16 despite Balogun red card

The United States are through to the World Cup last 16 after a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina at Levi’s Stadium. Folarin Balogun opened the scoring before being shown a straight red card, and Malik Tillman later sealed the result with a free-kick.

Balogun’s goal came shortly before half-time after Bosnia were punished for a defensive mistake involving Stjepan Radeljic. The match then turned in the second half when a VAR review led to Balogun’s dismissal for a challenge on Tarik Muharemovic, leaving the hosts to protect their lead with 10 men.

Bosnia had the extra player but struggled to create clear danger, finishing with only about 0.29 expected goals according to the source report. Tillman’s set-piece strike around the final stages removed much of the tension and confirmed the USA’s progress in front of a reported crowd of 68,827.

Belgium are next for the United States in Seattle, but Balogun’s absence changes the attacking picture for that tie. The key editorial question now is whether the USA’s defensive resilience can carry over against a stronger opponent without one of their scorers from this match.