The United States advanced to the last 16 of the World Cup on Wednesday with a resilient 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, despite being reduced to 10 players for a significant portion of the match. The tournament co-hosts opened the scoring just before halftime when Folarin Balogun capitalized on a loose ball inside the penalty area to put the Americans ahead.

However, Balogun’s promising performance was cut short in the 64th minute when he was shown a red card following a video review for a dangerous challenge on Bosnia and Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic. The dismissal left the US to defend with a one-man deficit for the remainder of the match.

Despite their numerical advantage, Bosnia and Herzegovina were unable to capitalize on the extra player, struggling to generate clear goal-scoring opportunities. Earlier efforts by their veteran striker Edin Dzeko, including a shot on target in the 10th minute saved by US goalkeeper Matt Freese, marked their best chances but failed to produce an equalizer.

The US team also faced setbacks, having two goals disallowed due to offside calls—one by Balogun in the 31st minute and another involving Christian Pulisic in the 79th. Nonetheless, they maintained control and sealed the win in the 82nd minute when Malik Tillman converted a free kick by chipping the ball over the defensive wall into the net.

This victory marked the United States’ first win in a World Cup knockout stage since 2002, extending their tournament run. With the win secured on home soil, the US will next face Belgium, who advanced earlier in the day by staging a late comeback to defeat Senegal 3-2 in extra time.

The match highlighted the US team’s resilience and discipline, managing to hold firm despite playing a man down and maintain their pursuit of a maiden men’s World Cup title. Meanwhile, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s hopes were dashed after failing to penetrate a stubborn American defense in a match where a single goal would have kept their campaign alive.