United States striker Folarin Balogun etched his name into World Cup history after matching a rare record previously achieved by football greats Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldinho during his side's 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The striker of Nigerian descent scored his third goal of the tournament to help the United States book a place in the Round of 16. The strike also moved him into second place on the list of the highest-scoring American players in a single World Cup campaign.
However, Balogun's memorable outing ended on a sour note when he was sent off in the 64th minute, ruling him out of next week's Round of 16 clash against Belgium in Seattle.
By scoring and receiving a red card in the same World Cup knockout match, Balogun became only the fourth player in tournament history to achieve the feat. He joins an exclusive list comprising Brazil legend Garrincha (1962), Ronaldinho (2002) and Zidane (2006).
Despite being reduced to 10 men, Mauricio Pochettino's side held on to secure victory, with Malik Tillman sealing the win through a superb direct free-kick. The midfielder became only the second American player, after Eric Wynalda in 1994, to score directly from a free-kick at a World Cup.
Balogun's suspension means the United States will be without their leading scorer for the knockout tie against Belgium, but his teammates remain confident the squad has enough depth to cope with his absence.
Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards acknowledged Balogun's unfortunate dismissal, revealing that the squad had already rallied around the striker as they prepare for the crucial last-16 encounter.
