Balogun and Tillman send the United States into the last 16

The United States beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 in Santa Clara to reach the World Cup round of 16 and keep their tournament hopes alive. Folarin Balogun scored his third goal of the competition before being sent off, while Malik Tillman sealed the result with a late free kick.

The U.S. started strongly and Balogun looked the most dangerous player on the pitch in the first half. He had one goal ruled out for offside, won several dangerous positions in the box, and finally broke through just before halftime after Tim Ream intercepted a Bosnia goal kick and Tillman found him in space.

Bosnia had actually created the better early chances, forcing Matt Freese into two key saves, but once Balogun settled the Americans controlled the match. His finish made it three goals for the tournament, leaving him just one short of the U.S. single-World Cup scoring record set by Bert Patenaude in 1930.

The game changed again in the 64th minute when Balogun was sent off for a foul on Tarik Muharemovic. That left the U.S. with 10 men, but they held firm and kept Bosnia from building any serious momentum.

Tillman then made sure of the win in the 82nd minute with a free kick from just outside the box. His shot deflected off goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj’s hand and in, sparking celebrations from the home crowd at Levi’s Stadium.

The victory was a significant one for the Americans. It was only their second World Cup knockout-round win, and it came against a European opponent for the first time since beating Portugal in 2002. It also ended a 10-game losing streak against European teams in World Cup play.

Now the U.S. move on to face Belgium in Seattle on Monday. With the tournament being played on home soil and the team showing both attacking sharpness and resilience, the dream of a deep run is still very much alive.