Balogun’s double act seals US knockout spot, then leaves them in the lurch
Striker turns hero with opener, villain with straight red in 2-0 win that books Round of 16 berth but forces tactical rethink
Folarin Balogun did the Jekyll-and-Hyde routine in twenty minutes flat, scoring the opener to push the US into the World Cup knockout stages before collecting a baffling straight red card. The Monaco striker’s 22nd-minute finish, a clinical low drive past the Bosnia keeper, put the Americans ahead and set the tone for a nervy second half. By the 42nd minute, however, Balogun was walking the plank after a reckless lunge on Bosnia’s Miralem Pjanić.
