The U.S. men’s national soccer team eked out a narrow 1-0 win against Iran in a tense FIFA World Cup showdown on Tuesday, catapulting them into the Round of 16 for just the fifth time in history. Star midfielder Christian Pulisic scored the game’s only goal in the 38th minute but, in devastating news for U.S. fans, he suffered an abdominal injury in the process and was removed from the game at half time. Referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz waived off Iran’s desperate pleas for a penalty in the final minute of the game after Cameron Carter-Vickers clashed with Iran’s Mehdi Taremi as Taremi took a shot on goal. The shot slipped through goalkeeper Matt Turner’s legs but was cleared away by defender Walker Zimmerman just feet from the goal line.The U.S. will now face the Netherlands on Saturday. The lead-up to the match had been nervy; U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter was forced to apologize for posts on the team’s social media accounts that altered the Iranian flag as a show of support for human rights protests sweeping the country. Iranian players mumbled their way through the anthem after reportedly being threatened by the regime with imprisonment and torture if they didn’t.
