USA forward Folarin Balogun was shown a straight red card for a challenge on Bosnia-Herzegovina's Tarik Muharemovic during their World Cup match at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, throwing the co-hosts' knockout tie into turmoil.
The round of 32 clash, scheduled for Thursday with a 1am BST kick-off, saw Balogun dismissed after a tackle that left the referee with no option but to brandish the red card. The incident occurred in front of a passionate home crowd at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, where the United States had hoped to continue their impressive run in the tournament.
“USA striker Folarin Balogun sent off for challenge on Bosnia's Tarik Muharemovic during World Cup round of 32 at Levi's Stadium.”
Balogun, who had earlier scored for the US, was sent off for his challenge on Muharemovic, reducing the co-hosts to 10 men for the remainder of the high-stakes fixture. The match, broadcast live on BBC One in the UK with coverage starting at 12.50am, was also available via the BBC iPlayer on desktop and mobile devices.
The dismissal leaves the US facing an uphill battle to secure a place in the next round, with Bosnia-Herzegovina now holding a numerical advantage. Fans watching on FOX or TUDN in the United States saw the home side's hopes dented as Balogun walked off the pitch.