Report, result and goals as the World Cup hosts begin to warm up with a win
The USA started their preparations for the World Cup with a thrilling 3-2 win over Senegal at the Bank of America Stadium, surviving a second-half scare after taking a two-goal lead.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side raced ahead through Sergino Dest and Christian Pulisic before Sadio Mane pulled one back on the stroke of half-time.
Senegal equalized early in the second half after capitalizing on a defensive error, which resulted in Folarin Balogun’s strike to restore the Americans’ advantage.
The hosts made a good start and looked dangerous from the first exchange. Pulisic was heavily involved in the early going, starting to threaten with a dangerous delivery before helping to create the breakthrough after just seven minutes.
Ricardo Pepi showed excellent awareness to leave his mark and release Pulisic behind Senegal’s defence.
The winger stepped into the penalty area and unselfishly squared to Dest, who got there perfectly to drive home from close range and give the USA an early lead.
Flair is shown by the USA
Pochettino’s men continued to play with confidence after the first goal and almost doubled their advantage with a series of dangerous attacks. Senegal briefly threatened an immediate reply, with Matt Turner producing a superb save to deny Mane after the striker ran onto the ball.
Nicolas Jackson then wasted a good chance to equalize when Iliman Ndiaye’s cross found him in space, but the striker blazed over the bar.
The USA punished that miss midway through the half. Pepi was at the heart of the move, exploiting the space down the right before cutting forward to Pulisic.
The Milan striker rounded goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf and calmly slotted home from a tight corner to make it 2-0 after 20 minutes.
Senegal gradually improved as the half wore on and began to enjoy longer periods of possession. Turner was not too worried, though he had to clear Ndiaye’s effort, while Mamadou Sarr produced a crucial block to deny Antonee Robinson what looked to be the hosts’ third goal.
Mane pulls one back
Their progress was rewarded just before the break. Habib Diarra carried the ball forward from deep in his own half, passing through midfield before seeing off Mane’s smart move.
The veteran timed his run well and fired a perfect finish into the far corner, reducing the deficit to 2-1 and giving Senegal renewed confidence early on.
The second half started with big changes for both managers, USA made 10 changes as Pochettino looked to spread the minutes to his team.
Despite the setback, the hosts thought they had regained their two-goal cushion as soon as Balogun curled into the top corner, only for the offside flag to cut short the celebrations.
Instead, Senegal scored a late equalizer. Jackson’s pressure forced Auston Trusty into a costly mistake, allowing the forward to challenge starting quarterback Chris Brady.
A loose ball broke dangerously inside the area and, although Miles Robinson tried to clear the line, Mane’s persistence ensured the ball fell, ending Senegal’s comeback and making it 2-2.
Balogun gets the winner
The game was already live. The USA believed that they got a goal back shortly after the equalizer when Malik Tillman converted from close range, but another whistle denied them as Balogun was defeated because he made a mistake in the preparation.
Their persistence paid off in the 63rd minute. Timothy Weah scored a dangerous low ball in the penalty area and Senegal failed to clear in a satisfactory manner.
The loose ball fell perfectly to Balogun, who reacted quickly and directed a smart finish into the bottom left corner to finally make it 3-2.
What followed was an end that could easily have produced a few more goals. Balogun almost grabbed a second but shot over the bar, while Christian Roldan wasted a good chance after cutting inside his left foot.
On the other hand, Senegal looked for another equalizer, although their attack lacked the precision needed to break through the American defense.
The USA came very close to extending their lead during a dramatic sequence in the closing stages. Weston McKennie forced a save from Diouf before hitting the post with the rebound, while Balogun was again denied as the Senegal keeper pulled off another stunning save.
Seconds later, Alejandro Zendejas appeared destined to score, only for Mamadou Mbow to recover well and produce a goal-saving block.
Senegal continued to push forward in the closing minutes and almost got a stunning equalizer when a promising opener fell to Bamba Dieng, but a misplaced pass prevented the opportunity from fully developing.
The Americans defended well in four minutes of added time, shaking off a string of late deliveries before the full-time whistle.
