As is often the case for the U.S., up popped Christian Pulisic when it really mattered to keep their World Cup journey alive.
The Chelsea forward scored late in the first half from close range after a fine move involving Weston McKennie and Sergino Dest. Iran improved after the break but failed to really test Matt Turner in the U.S. goal.
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Gregg Berhalter’s team advance from Group B alongside England and will now face Netherlands in the last 16 on Saturday.
From Pulisic’s vital intervention, to the atmosphere in the Al Thumama Stadium, and the energy and drive down the wings, our writers analyse the key talking points…
Pulisic is the man for the big occasion
Christian Pulisic’s propensity to pop up in big games is not a new trait.
It showed again in tonight’s must-win game at the World Cup.
Pulisic sacrificed his body to finish off a headed cross from Dest in the 38th minute, giving the U.S. an all-important 1-0 lead. Pulisic stayed down injured inside the goal after the finish, holding his midsection (he went to hospital after the match with an abdominal injury). Pulisic eventually came back into the game to an ovation from the crowd, but he was unable to continue in the second half, as Brenden Aaronson entered for the star winger.
Pulisic seems to relish the big games.
Going back to his days with the U.S. under-17 national team, he has found ways to change finals and big games for his teams. Pulisic made a name for himself in the Nike Friendlies final against Brazil, scoring and assisting in a 4-1 win, and that penchant for stepping up in big matches continued when he moved up to the senior team.
Pulisic scored the game-winning goal in extra time of last summer’s Nations League final against Mexico. He scored the game-winner against Mexico at home in qualifying and netted a hat-trick in the penultimate game of World Cup qualifying against Panama, the result that all-but sent the U.S. to the World Cup. He was also the goalscorer that tried to pull the U.S. back into the game back in 2017 in that infamous loss to Trinidad and Tobago.
That big-game ability has also shown itself at the club level.
Pulisic drew a penalty kick in the DFB-Pokal final in 2017 to help Borussia Dortmund to a win. He scored in an FA Cup final for Chelsea against Arsenal in 2020 and netted in the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, then assisted a goal in the home leg.
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All of those goals were important ones, but the one against Iran sent his team through to the knockout stage of the World Cup. There are few goals that can be bigger than that.
Paul Tenorio
U.S. need to be far more clinical
After a lively first 15 minutes, Iran moved into a defensive shell, completely ceding possession to the Americans. The U.S. began to live in the Iranian half and eventually took the lead through a very well-worked goal scored by Pulisic in the 38th minute, but the Americans were otherwise far too inefficient in the final third.
Pulisic squandered an opportunity to play Josh Sargent through in the second minute; Timothy Weah headed a weak attempt on frame when he had time to hammer a volley in the 28th; he missed the target an an open look from the right side of the area in the 33rd; Weah and Sargent combined to not even get off a shot on their two-on-two break in the 45th.
The U.S. were less wasteful in the second half, but only because they generated fewer opportunities as Iran pushed for an equalizer. The U.S. ended up holding firm, but there were a few close calls. Had they been more efficient in the first half, they would have avoided the anxious finish.
This has been a common theme at the World Cup for the Americans, who have done a good job of controlling the run of play in Qatar, but struggled to convert their pressure into opportunities and goals.
That’ll need to change if they want to get the better of Netherlands in the last 16 on Saturday.
Sam Stejskal
A stretched and disjointed Iran display
Carlos Queiroz spent most of the first half scowling on the touchline and pleading with his players to inject some urgency into what was initially a horribly passive display. His own wretched record in opening periods when overseeing a team at the World Cup — only once, with Portugal back in 2010, has his side scored in the first half of a game – was maintained regardless. His players were bickering among themselves before the interval as the pressure started to tell.
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There was more drive to their display upon the resumption, laced as it was by desperation, but ultimately no recovery for Queiroz and his players to celebrate. Only in the latter stages did Iran truly discomfort their opponents and, by then, they had long been embroiled in a game of catch-up. They ended up missing out on a first ever involvement in the knockout stage by a solitary goal.
This team have contributed plenty to this group in difficult circumstances, but their lingering regret will be that inability to tap into the attacking pedigree they know they possess. The Iranian threat was supposed to be carried by Mehdi Taremi, prolific at Porto, and Sardar Azmoun. Yet that pair were isolated when out of possession and swamped by the feverish American midfield through the first half, and only once found themselves combining in the U.S. penalty area before Azmoun departed injured at the break.
Iran’s passing, in general, was sloppy when the onus had been on the Americans to make the running. There was no bite and, until the U.S. led, no obvious intent. At least Brentford’s Saman Ghoddos tore into his substitute’s appearance with some vigour, heading his team’s best chance to date over the bar and then, while an assistant prepared to flag, whipping a shot wide of a post. That shrugged Taremi into action and, briefly, Iran stirred. It was wild in the din of stoppage time as Morteza Pouraliganji stooped and headed wide.
As it was, desperation did little for their precision. Even as the ball squirmed through Matt Turner’s legs in the ninth minute of stoppage time and the penalty appeals erupted, Iran’s pursuit yielded nothing. The frenzy had been whipped up too late. There was to be no reward.
Dom Fifield
Why haven’t we seen this Dest at club level?
The focus tends to drift to their all-action midfield, sprinting from box to box and injecting such energy into the United States’ performance. But a word, here, for their lightning right-back. Dest was schooled at Ajax and taken on at some expense by Barcelona, where he became the first American to score for the club. He is currently on loan at AC Milan, where he has made a solitary start in Serie A this season.
Yet there have been times in this World Cup, against England and Iran, when it was easy to ponder why he is not more regularly involved at club level. His rip-roaring charges up and down that flank have been a feature of this U.S. side. He has offered balance, forward propulsion on the counter and dynamism on that wing. It was his low cross that Ali Beiranvand palmed out with an outstretched right hand, and his scurry upfield that forced Majid Hosseini into his latest timely interception on the half-hour.
There was no surprise that it was the 22-year-old who exploited the space behind Milad Mohammadi to reach McKennie’s fine pass. His header back across goal was perfectly weighted and directed, guided tantalisingly along the edge of the six-yard box, and duly buried by Pulisic.
Ghoddos represented a different type of challenge to keep him honest, and maybe exposed some defensive naivety that might explain the peripheral role the full-back has tended to play at successive elite clubs.
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But Dest has made an impression on this tournament. Potential is being fulfilled.
Dom Fifield
Iran create raucous atmosphere
For two and a half hours outside the Al Thumama Stadium, a majority pro-Iran crowd gathered in separate groups. They talked among themselves, occasionally joining together with others for non-controversial chants and songs common at any Team Melli match. Compared with the scene outside Iran’s previous matches at this World Cup, that much was the same.
Other things were notably different. The “Woman. Life. Freedom.” shirts and those bearing other protest slogans, which were impossible to miss at Iran’s opener against England, were almost entirely absent to the naked eye. So were flags of pre-Islamic Revolution Iran, which have long been a symbol of protest particularly among Iranian expats. Several people I talked to, all of whom did not want to be named due to safety concerns, wore shirts bearing those slogans under button-down shirts, which many later told me were inspected by security upon arrival. Some said they found creative ways to smuggle the flags in, and left it at that.
Whatever their view on the current regime, the Iranians in attendance created a raucous environment as loud as this World Cup has seen at any game. Plastic horns, which are common at Team Melli games in Iran, made Al Thumama feel like a southern outpost of Tehran’s Azadi Stadium. That noise continued in force through most of the first half, but dissipated considerably as the USMNT grabbed control of the game and only rarely let it go.
The one exception: the anthem, for which there was considerably less booing, whistling, and shows of discontent than could be heard at either of Iran’s other two games.
Alexander Abnos
Where and how the U.S. attacked
Coming into the game, we knew that the USMNT were going to play with circulations in wide areas — having one of the lowest shares of attacking touches via the central third of the pitch.
Against England, it was McKennie who pushed to the right-hand side to disorganise the opposition midfield. This time, it was Yunus Musah who pushed to the right flank and was particularly effective combining with Dest and Weah.
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In the first half in particular, both Dest and fellow full-back Antonee Robinson pushed very high and wide to essentially create a front five for the United States in attack — pinning Iran back deep into their defensive third. Naturally, this width led to consistent, high volume crosses with the opportunities the United States had to attack. Forty-six per cent of their total box entries — which are any pass, dribble or cross into the penalty area — were via crosses, which was well above the tournament average of 37 per cent.
Berhalter will be disappointed that the large majority of those crosses were uncompleted, with just one of their 20 crosses finding their man. However, with the USMNT progressing to the knockout stage, he will not be too hung up on that for the time being.
Mark Carey
How the final day of the group unfolded
Ahead of kick-off: England are going through as group winners and Iran are advancing in second place.
38 minutes: Huge goal. Christian Pulisic scores to put USA 1-0 up. As it stands, England are winning the group and the Americans are finishing second, leapfrogging Iran.
50 minutes: Rashford scores for England to cement their hold on top spot. The U.S. are still in second.
52 minutes: Foden scores to make it 2-0 to England and Southgate’s side are all-but guaranteed to progress as group winners and face Senegal. The U.S. are in second and heading for a showdown with the Netherlands.
68 minutes: Rashford gets his second to make it 3-0 to England. The U.S. still lead 1-0 and remain in second as it stands. But a nervy finish beckons.
90 minutes: The fourth official signals that there will be nine minutes of injury time in the U.S.’s game against Iran.
101 minutes: The whistle goes in the U.S. game against Iran and the Americans are through. England win the group and will play Senegal on Sunday, while the U.S. come second and will face the Netherlands on Saturday.
Will Jeanes
(Photo: Claudio Villa/Getty Images)