Folarin Balogun gets red card. (Photo- GETTY)
USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina, FIFA World Cup: In the ‘Round of 32’ of the FIFA World Cup 2026, USA has created history instead of succumbing to immense pressure. On July 2, in an exciting match played at Levi’s Stadium in California, the American team defeated Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0. Despite playing the last 26 minutes of the match with 10 players, America achieved this victory, which is only the second time in their football history that they have won a World Cup knockout match. The heroes of this historic victory were Folarin Balogun and Malik Tillman, who with their brilliant performance got America a ticket to the Round of 16, where they will now face Belgium.
Balogun scored the first goal
American forward Folarin Balogun was completely dominant in the first half of the match. In the 31st minute of the match, Balogun put the ball in the net, but the referee declared it offside. However, they finally got success in the 45th minute. He was successful in scoring the first goal for America in this match. This was Balogun’s third goal of this tournament. After this goal, Balogun celebrated in the famous ‘The Silencer’ style of the great NBA basketball player LeBron James.
Got red card in second half and ban of 1 match
But America suffered a big blow at the beginning of the second half. Due to Bosnian player Tarikh Muharemovic stepping on his ankle, Brazilian referee Rafael Clos took the help of Video Review (VAR) and sent Balogun off the field with a straight red card. Due to this, the American team had to play the last 26 minutes of the match with only 10 players. Due to this suspension, Balogun will no longer be able to play in the next match against Belgium.
With this, Balogun has become the fifth American player to receive a red card in the history of the World Cup. Before him, Eric Winalda (1990), Fernando Clavijo (1994), Pablo Mastroianni (2006) and Eddie Pope (2006) had held this unwanted record.
Malik Tillman’s magical free-kick sealed the victory
Despite having 10 players left, the American defense played amazingly well. At the same time, in the 82nd minute of the match, America got a free-kick just outside the penalty area. Young sensation Malik Tillman made a spectacular shot on this occasion. Bosnia’s goalkeeper Vasil tried to touch the ball, but the shot had so much power and accuracy that he could not stop the ball from going into the net. With this goal by Tillman, the entire Levi’s Stadium was immersed in a sea of celebration and with the score being 2-0, America’s victory was completely confirmed.
