During the U.S. men’s national team’s 2-0 victory against Bosnia and Herzegovina in their Round of 32 match at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, coach Sergej Barbares received a yellow card for his escalating frustration in the closing minutes.
Barbares was visibly upset when the referee failed to call a foul after a clash between Esmir Vajraktavic and Anthony Robinson, which saw Vajraktavic hit the ground.
As the two players scrambled for the ball, the collision left Vajraktavic on the turf, and in a moment of anger, Barbares picked up the ball and started yelling at the referee.
With emotions still running high, Barbares refused to hand the ball to Malik Tillman, continuing to express his discontent toward the officiating.
Referee Rafael Kraus approached Barbares, and after some back-and-forth, he issued the yellow card.
There was more drama in the match, particularly the red card given to Folarin Balogun in the 64th minute for a reckless challenge on Bosnia’s Tarik Mujaremović.
Prior to his dismissal, Balogun had scored the opening goal, followed by Malik Tillman’s goal in the 82nd minute that secured the win.
This victory marked a significant achievement for the United States, being their first knockout round win since 2002, while it unfortunately ended Bosnia’s journey in their second World Cup appearance.
Bosnia had progressed into the tournament after a draw in the group stage and a win over Qatar.
The U.S. now looks ahead to their round of 16 match against Belgium on Monday at Lumen Field in Seattle.
