Bosnia-Herzegovina manager Sergej Barbarez received a yellow card during a heated moment late in the U.S. men’s national team’s 2-0 World Cup victory. The incident occurred Wednesday night at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, during the Round of 32 matchup.
Barbarez was visibly frustrated when play continued after a collision between Bosnia’s Esmir Bajraktarević and the U.S.’s Antonee Robinson. After Bajraktarević fell to the ground, the ball went out of bounds, and Barbarez retrieved it, directing his anger toward the officials. He appeared to refuse to hand the ball to U.S. player Malik Tillman along the sideline, continuing to protest.
Brazilian referee Raphael Claus approached Barbarez, who eventually released the ball. Following a verbal exchange, the Bosnian manager was shown a yellow card.
The match also saw drama when U.S. forward Folarin Balogun was issued a red card in the 64th minute for stepping on the foot and ankle of Bosnia’s Tarik Muharemović. Balogun had scored the opening goal of the match, with Tillman adding the second in the 82nd minute to secure the win.
This victory marked the United States' first advancement in the knockout round since 2002. The loss concluded Bosnia-Herzegovina’s World Cup campaign, which was their second appearance in the tournament. The team had advanced to the knockout stage after a draw in the group stage and a win against Qatar.
The U.S. men's national team is scheduled to face Belgium in the Round of 16 on Monday at Lumen Field in Seattle.