The U.S. has its biggest World Cup win in a generation. Now it must do it all again without its star forward.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Blood pooled near Malik Tillman’s toes as he stood over a free kick Wednesday evening.
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The U.S. midfielder’s boot had been stepped on and split open during the World Cup’s round of 32 match against Bosnia-Herzegovina. The puncture left a hole in his sock between his big and middle toes, where a red stain formed.
But the 82nd minute of a knockout game, with the U.S. clinging to a 1-0 lead and down to 10 men after a controversial red card sent off scoring star Folarin Balogun, was not the time for Tillman to focus on the pain.
“I’ve been dreaming about this game,” Tillman said. “I’ve been dreaming about maybe taking a free kick and scoring a free kick.”
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Surveying a wall of Bosnian players the height of NBA forwards, he and teammate Antonee Robinson discussed aiming the ball around the wall or under it. With a strike of his pained right foot, Tillman ultimately curved a high-arching shot over the heads of Bosnia’s defenders toward the goal’s near post, where it found the back of the net after deflecting off the goalkeeper’s glove.
A packed stadium here in California, awash in stars-and-stripes jerseys, erupted in relief.
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