{"id":3562,"date":"2026-07-02T11:09:59","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T11:09:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3562"},"modified":"2026-07-02T11:09:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T11:09:59","slug":"malik-tillmans-late-goal-eases-tension-clinches-u-s-knockout-win-over-bosnia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3562","title":{"rendered":"Malik Tillman’s late goal eases tension, clinches U.S. knockout win over Bosnia"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SANTA CLARA \u2014 The United States was down to 10 men.<\/p>\n

Its knockout round match against Bosnia and Herzegovina was still in doubt as the Levi\u2019s Stadium crowd watched with uneasiness deep into the second half.<\/p>\n

Read more Horoscopes July 2, 2026: Margot Robbie, ask questions and take notes<\/a><\/p>\n

The Americans needed something to soothe the tension Wednesday night, something to give them the goal that would clinch the victory and send them to the round of 16 against Belgium.<\/p>\n

Malik Tillman stared at the ball for a free kick just outside the box, to the left of the goal.<\/p>\n

A wall of defenders was 10 yards away, including one who stands 6-foot-7.<\/p>\n

Tillman\u2019s shot curled over the wall and rocketed to the right of diving goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj for a goal.<\/p>\n

The packed house of 68,827 erupted.<\/p>\n

The U.S. players spilled onto the pitch in jubilee.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

In the 82nd minute of an ultra-physical match, with their striker, Folarin Balogun, sent off earlier in the half with a red card, the Americans could finally breathe.<\/p>\n

They had secured just their second knockout round win in their history, prevailing 2-0 to earn a date against Belgium in Seattle on Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was amazing,\u201d U.S. coach\u00a0Mauricio Pochettino said of Tillman\u2019s strike. \u201cMalik is an amazing player. So talented. I am so happy for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tillman, 24, has had a terrific run through the World Cup from his midfield position. He assisted on Balogun\u2019s goal in the U.S.\u2019s group-stage opener against Paraguay.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

He has been a steady presence for a team that continues to find higher bars to clear.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, Tillman won nine duels \u2014 the most of anyone who played on either side \u2014 and had four dangerous interceptions, a metric used in soccer that accounts for stopping an attack.<\/p>\n

Read more Opinion: Big Oil needs Californians to fall for its slick marketing campaign. Don\u2019t be fooled.<\/a><\/p>\n

But his big moment, the one that won\u2019t soon be forgotten, was the ball he struck with his right foot that found the back of the net.<\/p>\n

It was his first goal of the World Cup and fourth for the national team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been dreaming about this game,\u201d Tillman said. \u201cI\u2019ve been dreaming about maybe taking a free kick and scoring (on) a free kick. I trained for this in practices and training and then today I showed what I can do.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Tillman\u2019s goal, the U.S. chewed up the match\u2019s remaining minutes for its second shutout of the World Cup and third victory in four matches.<\/p>\n

With another win Monday, the Americans will reach the quarterfinals for just the second time in the modern era, matching their run at the 2002 World Cup.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think this game today showed our character,\u201d Tillman said. \u201cWe will always keep on fighting, keep on giving everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before his goal, Tillman had to change his cleat \u2014 the one he\u2019d use to score \u2014 because the shoe split open when someone stepped on him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in pain,\u201d he said. \u201cBut my shoe was cut, so this is why I changed the boot.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new boot worked out just fine.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was crazy,\u201d teammate Chris Richards said. \u201cIt dipped over the wall. It\u2019s a lot of practice, man. Those guys, they practice a lot. It was cool to see it pay off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Asking Eric: I want her to know I got her insulting accidental voicemail<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

‘I’ve been dreaming about this game,’ Tillman says after his free kick in 82nd minute sails past Bosnia and Herzegovina goalkeeper.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3561,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nMalik Tillman’s late goal eases tension, clinches U.S. knockout win over Bosnia - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3562\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Malik Tillman’s late goal eases tension, clinches U.S. knockout win over Bosnia - 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