The United States got the only result that would propel it to the World Cup’s knockout round Tuesday, a 1-0 victory over Iran that secured second place in Group B.
U.S. star Christian Pulisic scored the game’s lone goal in the 38th minute, in the process suffering an abdominal injury that sent him out of the game after halftime. From there, the Americans withstood a desperate charge from Iran, which only needed a draw to advance. There were nine excruciating minutes of stoppage time, and they featured a ball that was cleared off the U.S. goal line and a review of a possible penalty after an Iran player fell down in the box.
