USA beat Australia 2-0 to seal a knockout berth and maintain their perfect start to the World Cup.
Co-hosts USA booked their place in the knockout stages of the World Cup after securing a convincing 2-0 victory over Australia in their Group D encounter.
Having opened their campaign with a commanding 4-1 win over Paraguay in Los Angeles, Mauricio Pochettino’s side delivered another impressive performance in Seattle to continue their unbeaten run and secure progression to the next round.
With FIFA using head-to-head records instead of goal difference as the primary tiebreaker in the World Cup group stage for the first time, USA are now guaranteed to finish either first or second in the group.
USA took the lead in the 11th minute when forward Folarin Balogun, who scored twice against Paraguay, created the opening goal. His cut-back was inadvertently turned into the net by Australia defender Cameron Burgess for an own goal.
The hosts doubled their advantage through defender Alex Freeman. Initially flagged offside after heading home Serginio Dest’s deflected effort following a corner, the decision was overturned by VAR, allowing the goal to stand.
Australia attempted to mount a comeback after the break, with head coach Tony Popovic making a triple substitution at half-time in a bid to change the momentum of the contest.
However, the Socceroos struggled to create clear-cut opportunities and rarely threatened USA goalkeeper Matt Freese as the hosts comfortably saw out the match.
The victory makes USA the second team, after Mexico, to secure qualification for the knockout stages, underlining their status as one of the tournament’s early frontrunners.
