The USA knows they have to beat Iran tonight if they want to reach the round of 16 at the World Cup. Draws against Wales and England have left Gregg Berhalter and his team in control of their own destiny, but they must now find their first win of the tournament to reach the last 16.
As for Iran, a hammering against England in their opening match got the World Cup off to a miserable start, but they improved a lot to beat Wales and leave them second in Group B heading into the ‘last seven games. A draw would see them through to the last 16 as long as Wales don’t beat England.
Tensions have been high ahead of the match, with Iranian state media calling for their opponents to be kicked out of the tournament after US Soccer released a version of its national flag without the Islamic Republic symbol in a show of support for protesters in iran Follow all the action with Standard Sport’s LIVE blog below!
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In case you live in a delicious Iran-USA bubble, England v Wales is 0-0 at half-time, by the way.
England seem to have dominated without scoring. You can follow it here.
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First half thoughts
Had Weah been on then, it would have been a deserved 2-0 lead for Greg Berghalter’s side. They made all the runs in this game, showing again that they are a very capable team.
Iran is still there, though. They showed against Wales what fighting spirit they have, and they can be a threat on the break if they can just keep the USA at bay.
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HALF TIME
It was an incredibly satisfying half if you’re an American supporter.
They have been very high and have the goal they deserve with the effervescent Pulisic. Dest and Musah have also impressed. 1-0.
It could have been 2-0 with Weah going through and finding the net just before the break, but the flag went up.
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47 mins: Mohammadi will play no further role for Iran. He has indicated to the bench that he cannot continue after an ankle adjustment. This is a blow.
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45 minutes: God what a great opportunity for the United States. They had an overload, breaking through Sargeant and Weah and somehow killed the chance, trying to overplay it.
Great departure for Iran.
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Added time
45 minutes: We have five added minutes here.
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43 mins: US manager Berghalter has told his substitutes that they won’t be needed as Pulisic comes off and prepares to continue.
Meanwhile, Adams is booked for a cynical foul to stop an Iran counter.
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41 min: Will Pulisic be able to continue after scoring this goal?
There is a long delay while he receives treatment in the goal, he clearly took a big hit. He looks dazed.
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GOAL! Iran 0-1 USA | Pulisic ’38
Pulisic makes it 1-0! He bravely pounces on a Dest cross with his head and bundles home from close range.
He may have gotten hurt in the process, but it’s a beautiful track for the US.
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37 min: USA fans get behind their team as Pulisic sends in another corner…
It came back well to Dest, but Taremi reads it well to shut down the AC Milan right back.