USA star Malik Tillman has revealed the last-second change that he made just moments before scoring in the team’s historic win on Wednesday night.
The USA secured their second-ever World Cup knockout round win in Santa Clara, California after beating Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 in a fiery Round of 32 clash.
Folarin Balogun – who was later sent off – opened the scoring for the World Cup co-hosts, before Tillman stepped up and scored a stunning free-kick in the second half.
Shortly after the game ended, the 24-year-old spoke with reporters in the media zone, revealing that he’d made a last-second change of cleats before the free-kick.
‘Yeah, I was in pain and my shoe was cut, so this is why I changed the boot,’ he said.
Tillman added: ‘Someone stepped on me. But yeah, it’s just pain. Nothing too bad’.
USA star Malik Tillman revealed that he changed his cleats moments before scoring
The midfielder scored a free-kick against Bosnia & Herzegovina on Wednesday evening
In videos that emerged of him attending his post-game media duties, the German-born star was seen with a bloody sock with a hole in it as he spoke to reporters.
Fans online were left in disbelief by Tillman’s revelation, as they realized his first touch of the ball in the new cleats was to strike the ball home for a second USA goal.
Reacting to the USA star’s interview, one fan wrote: ‘Iconic, legendary’.
‘Legendary. Team of destiny,’ another jubilant fan posted on social media.
Another said: ‘My hero! He was hurt and still made that free kick!’
Tillman’s goal ensured that the USA progress to the World Cup’s Round of 16, where they will face European heavyweights Belgium, following their win over Senegal.
The evening kickstarted in fine fashion for the tournament co-hosts after striker Folarin Balogun gave them the lead just before half-time.
The 24-year-old stole the ball off the Bosnian defense and produced a well-taken strike to break the deadlock in Santa Clara, California.
The 24-year-old was pictured with a bloody sock when speaking to media after the game
Tillman sparked wild celebrations inside Levi’s Stadium after scoring during the game
However, disaster struck after the break when Balogun was sent off for a challenge on Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemovic.
Though it seemed a fairly innocuous challenge at first, replays showed the striker did scrape his cleats down the back of the defender’s leg while making the tackle.
The decision sparked widespread fury, however, on social media – with many fans and celebrities feeling as though the red card was not justified.
The sending off means that USA head coach Mauricio Pochettino will be without his star striker for their next game of the competition. They cannot appeal the decision.
Brittany Mahomes, who was a soccer player at college, slammed the red card decision, posting on Instagram: ‘That was some bulls***… All I have to say #USA.’
Her husband, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick, also took to social media to question the decision. ‘Man what……’, he wrote on his X account.
The win was marred by a controversial red card to striker Folarin Balogun on Wednesday
The striker, who has three goals in the World Cup, will miss the USA’s next game on July 6
Jason Kelce, preparing for his brother Travis to get married on Friday to Taylor Swift, took time out from wedding planning to vent at the decision.
‘Man, somebody help me. That foul looked incidental from Balogun, shouldn’t a Red Card be given if there is either intention to foul, or an action that is aggressive and unsafe in nature?’ Kelce wrote.
‘Didn’t feel like Balogun was out of control or anything, just looked like it kind of happened.’
USA head coach Pochettino, after the win, gave his brutally honest verdict on the matter. ‘For me, it’s never a red card’.
