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THE UNITED STATES will be without prolific goalscorer Folarin Balogun for their last-16 clash with Belgium after he received a red card in the host nation’s 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Goals from Balogun and Malik Tillman were enough for the US to progress following a fiery encounter which saw Bosnia manager Sergej Barbarez given a yellow card for his behaviour on the sideline.
It was Bosnia who asked the first questions of the match, but momentum settled quickly with the US.
The raucous Santa Clara crowd was brought to life at the half-hour mark when Balogun struck home, but the effort was ruled out for offside.
He did not have to wait much longer to celebrate however, the Monaco forward finding the back of the net in the 45th minute off the back of a calamitous defensive error from Stjepan Radeljic, who touched the ball straight to Balogun in the box.
The match threatened to boil over for the US in the 62nd minute when Balogun was sent off for a heavy challenge which caught the ankle of Tarik Muharemovic.
The co-hosts proved up to the challenge defensively though, Bosnia threatening repeatedly but unable to break through.
The second goal came in the 80th minute, when Tillman’s free-kick attempt from just outside the box went up and over the wall and beat the outstretched hands of Bosnia keeper Nikola Vasilj.
Bosnia had multiple chances to score in the 10 minutes of added time, but were ultimately unable to keep their World Cup dreams alive.
Belgium coach Rudi Garcia hailed captain Youri Tielemans after the midfielder’s last-gasp penalty completed an astonishing 3-2 comeback victory over Senegal in the World Cup last 32.
Senegal looked set for a place in the next round as they led by two goals with five minutes remaining, but Belgium produced a dramatic fightback through strikes from Romelu Lukaku and Tielemans to force extra time in Seattle.
Tielemans then held his nerve to convert a penalty in the 125th minute and send Belgium into the last 16.
The Aston Villa player faced a lengthy delay before taking the kick as Senegal players surrounded the spot, but he calmly dispatched his effort to cap an improbable turnaround.
“What matters is that Youri Tielemans had the composure and the quality. And once again, we have the experience to take that kind of penalty, because it’s not easy,” said Garcia.
“As a result, he has sent us through to the round of 16. Congratulations to our captain. I think he was outstanding.”
Belgium will stay in Seattle to play either co-hosts the United States on 6 July for a place in the quarter-finals.
“At 2-2, in the 120th minute or even later, when you’re tired, and Youri was feeling it physically, to go and score that penalty is a difficult task. He succeeded.
For much of the afternoon, it seemed the curtain was about to fall on the last remnants of Belgium’s golden generation — Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and perhaps goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois — who helped lead the country to a third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup.
Instead, a late act of defiance from the Red Devils means they live to fight another day.
“Going 2-0 down and then coming back to make it 2-2 gives you a huge lift, and now the journey continues,” said Garcia.
“It’s true that a scenario like this can bring a group even closer together.
“It can make the players realise that, until a match is over, and the final whistle has blown, anything can happen – as we showed.”
Senegal coach Pape Thiaw admitted it was a “cruel” way for his team to exit the tournament.
Habib Diarra turned in a rebound after Ismaila Sarr’s header came back off the post.
Sarr then equalled Roger Milla’s record for the most goals by an African player at a single World Cup with his fourth of the tournament, but a late collapse allowed Belgium to pull off an unlikely escape act.
“We had the game in hand, we were leading 2-0 and we sat back a bit towards the end I think because we wanted to protect the lead,” said Thiaw.
Meanwhile, Tielemans seals Belgium’s incredible late comeback against Senegal.
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“Once we conceded for 2-1, we dropped even deeper and they got their second goal. It wasn’t easy, we tried to get back on our feet, but it unfortunately didn’t work out.”
Thiaw didn’t want to be drawn into a debate over the penalty decision, but he felt his side were hard done by.
Memories of Senegal’s walk-off protest following a late penalty award in the Africa Cup of Nations final in Morocco in January resurfaced, but this time there was no such reaction.
“When we looked at it, our interpretation was that there was no penalty. The players tried to contest it. It’s their right, (but) they respected the referee’s decision,” said Thiaw.
“It’s not easy to lose this kind of match… unfortunately it slipped away from us, but it’s football, it’s cruel, it’s not easy at all, but you have to accept, even if it’s difficult.”
– © AFP 2026
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Written by Press Association and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.
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