‘Balogun did not deserve red card’

United States ‌coach Mauricio Pochettino praised his players’ unity after they saw off Bosnia 2-0 with 10 men on Wednesday but railed against Balogun’s dismissal for “accidental” contact in the round-of-32 clash.

The win was the U.S.’s first in a World Cup knockout since 2002 and set up a last-16 showdown with Belgium.

“It’s difficult to describe our feeling, because I think they were amazing, and (there is) no easy game in the World Cup,” he said.

“I think the maturity of the team is amazing in the way that we are growing in the last five-six weeks.”

Balogun, who ‌scored his ‌third goal of the tournament near halftime, will ‌miss ⁠the biggest match ⁠of his career, though, after getting a red card for planting his foot on Tarik Muharemovic’s ankle.

Bosnia coach Sergej Barbarez said the decision, confirmed after a VAR review, was fair but Pochettino saw it differently.