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DOHA, Qatar — Christian Pulisic scored portion crashing headfirst into the goalkeeper successful the 38th infinitesimal and the United States precocious to the knockout circular of the World Cup with a 1-0 triumph implicit Iran connected Tuesday successful a politically charged rematch of their celebrated gathering a quarter-century ago.
Pulisic sprawled connected the tract and was lying successful the extremity for astir 3 minutes arsenic helium received attraction from the U.S. staff. He reentered the crippled but was replaced astatine the commencement of the 2nd half.
Back successful the World Cup aft missing the 2018 tournament, the U.S. opened with draws against Wales and England and needed a triumph to determination connected to the circular of 16.
The Americans finished 2nd successful Group B with 5 points, 2 down England, and volition play the Netherlands connected Saturday with the accidental to scope the quarterfinals for the archetypal clip since 2002.
"I ever accidental it's america against the world," guardant Tim Weah said. "No 1 believed the U.S. could play bully football."
Iran finished 3rd with 3 points. The squad has failed to beforehand successful each six of its World Cup appearances.
There was heightened hostility surrounding the lucifer due to the fact that of the strained relations betwixt the United States and Iran's Islamic government. Iran had famously upset the U.S. 2-1 successful the 1998 tourney successful France, eliminating the Americans.
Pregame protocols were normal, dissimilar the 1998 game, erstwhile Iranians presented the Americans with achromatic flowers and the teams posed for a associated photo.
Raucous Iranian fans with horns and drums successful the assemblage of 42,127 filled the little vessel down 1 extremity astatine Al Thumama Stadium and were acold louder than the red-white-and-blue U.S. supporters astatine the different extremity and down the American bench.
The U.S. outshot Iran 9-0 successful the archetypal fractional but didn't interruption done until Pulisic came up with the large infinitesimal that a increasing and progressively demanding instrumentality basal backmost location had been pining for.
Weston McKennie lofted a walk from conscionable past the halfway ellipse to Sergiño Dest astatine the borderline of the 6-yard box. Dest headed the shot successful beforehand of the nett connected a bounce arsenic Pulisic charged up the halfway of the tract past Ramin Rezaeian and Majid Hosseiniand.
Turning his assemblage to fto the shot deed his close foot, Pulisic knocked the shot for his 22nd planetary extremity and archetypal successful World Cup play. His momemtum carried him into goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand, and Pulisic needed to beryllium helped to his feet earlier going backmost in.
"Obviously we're precise thankful that helium threw his assemblage there," McKennie said. "At the extremity it was a heart-drop sinking moment, but we got it done and we're excited to inactive beryllium here."
Weah, who scored the Americans' extremity successful the opening 1-1 gully with Wales, astir doubled the pb successful the seventh infinitesimal of first-half stoppage clip but was ruled offside.
Brenden Aaronson replaced Pulisic astatine the commencement of the 2nd half.
With England up of Wales, Iran knew if needed lone a gully to beforehand and yet got its archetypal changeable astatine goalkeeper Matt Turner erstwhile Saman Ghoddos enactment a header implicit the crossbar successful the 52nd minute. Saeid Ezatolahi enactment an unfastened changeable precocious and wide successful the 70th and Morteza Pouraliganji's diving header successful the 3rd infinitesimal of 9 minutes of stoppage clip went conscionable wide and Walker Zimmerman cleared a escaped shot successful beforehand of the unfastened nett successful the ninth infinitesimal aft Cameron Carter-Vickers got a flimsy manus connected Mehdi Taremi.
"I anticipation that our fans and our radical successful Iran forgive us. I americium conscionable sorry," Taremi said.
LINEUPS
Cameron Carter-Vickers, a lad of erstwhile NBA subordinate Howard Carter, made his World Cup debut successful spot of Zimmerman and gave the U.S. an wholly Europe-based lineup for the archetypal clip ever successful World Cup play.
YOUNG AT HEART
The U.S. lineup averaged 24 years, 321 days, the youngest of immoderate squad astatine the tourney frankincense acold and the youngest successful the World Cup for the Americans since 1990. Yunus Musah turned 20, the archetypal American to look successful a World Cup lucifer connected his birthday.
LOOKING AHEAD
The U.S. is 1-4 against the Netherlands, each friendlies, overcoming a two-goal shortage to triumph 4-3 astatine Amsterdam successful 2015.
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