World Cup: Tillman’s free-kick seals Round of 16 spot for USA

Malik Tillman scored his first World Cup goal in the United States’ win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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All three hosts of the 2026 World Cup are through to the Round of 16 as the United States got the better of Bosnia and Herzegovina in a heated encounter in California. Folarin Balogun and Malik Tillman scored the goals for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

The former Arsenal striker nearly doubled USMNT’s advantage before the half-time break shortly after he scored the opener in the 45th minute. However, he was sent off twenty minutes into the second-half as the hosts had to play the rest of the game with ten players.

Bayer Leverkusen’s Tillman sealed their deserved win from a direct free-kick in the 82nd minute. The 24-year-old played the entire game, while Gio Reyna came on as a substitute in injury-time.

Reyna’s teammate at Borussia Mönchengladbach, Haris Tabakovic, made his tournament debut for Bosnia and Herzegovina, who also had five Bundesliga players in their starting lineup.

Despite USA's jubilation at qualifying for the next round, the red card decision that will see the three-goal hero Balogun miss the Round of 16 tie is dominating headlines. United States will face Belgium in a repeat of the classic 2014 World Cup tie, which is remembered for one of the best goalkeeping performances by Tim Howard despite his team's 2-1 extra-time defeat.