By Benson Petit-Clair
USA defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 4-3 on Wednesday in its first match after winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup. USA was down 2-0 at halftime, and then Jozy Altidore powered them to victory in the 2nd half by scoring three straight goals. It was Altidore’s second career hat trick with the US national team; the other came against Trinidad and Tobago in a 3-0 victory during FIFA World Cup Qualifying on April 1, 2009.
Eden Dzeko of Manchester City opened the score in the 8th minute of the the match on his own rebound from an initially saved ball by US Goalkeeper Tim Howard.
Vedad Ibisevic headed home Bosnia’s second goal about 20 minutes later. Ibisevic received the ball from a cross from the right side by Zvjezdan Misimovic. The VfB Stuttgart striker then beat US defender Geoff Cameron to make it 2-0 for the host nation.
Eddie Johnson scored an easy goal for USA with a wide open net in front of him in the 55th minute to cut into the lead. Johnson who was well-positioned received a pass from Altidore who received a long pass from the AS Roma midfielder Micheal Bradley.
Altidore would take over the match by scoring three straight goals starting from the 59th minute to the 86th. Atidore’s second goal was the most beautiful of them all. In the 84th minute of the match, he launched a powerful free kick in the upper left corner of the goal, giving Bosnia’s goalkeeper little time to react. His third goal came two minutes later from a shot near the top of the penalty area. He became the second American player to score a hat-trick this year for the USMNT. Chris Wondolowski recorded the first one in the past Gold Cup in a 6-1 rout against Belize. Altidore also sets a US record by scoring at least a goal in five consecutive matches with the national team.
Dzeko who scored the first goal of the match also scored the last one in the dying minutes of the match to reduce the deficit to one goal.
USA won their first ever game in Bosnia to make it 12 straight win in a row and also recorded their first come-from behind victory in the European continent.
Lineups:
USA: 1-Tim Howard (capt.); 6-Brad Evans (11-Bobby Wood, 87), 20-Geoff Cameron, 5-John Brooks, 23-Fabian Johnson (15-Michael Parkhurst, 80); 4-Michael Bradley, 13-Jermaine Jones (16-Sacha Kljestan, 69), 19-Alejandro Bedoya (10-Joe Corona, 63), 8-Mix Diskerud (2-Edgar Castillo, 45), 18-Eddie Johnson (7-Aron Johannsson, 63); 17-Jozy Altidore
Substitutions Not Used: 12-Brad Guzan, 9-Terrence Boyd, 21-Tim Ream
Head coach: Jurgen Klinsmann
BIH: 1-Asmir Begovic; 4-Emir Spahic (capt.) (23-Toni Sunjic, 45), 3-Ermin Bicakcic, 15-Sejad Salihovic (7-Miroslav Stevanovic), 21-Ervin Zukanovic (19-Edin Visca, 62); 16-Senad Lulic, 6-Elvir Rahimic (14-Adnan Zahirovic, 45), 8-Miralem Pjanic (18-Haris Medunjanin, 61), 10-Zvjezdan Misimovic; 9-Vedad Ibisevic (2-Avdija Vrsajevic, 45), 11-Edin Dzeko
Substitutions Not Used: 22-Asimir Avdukic; 12-Jasmin Fejzic
Head coach: Safet Susic
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Good win by the US, Bosnia is a highly ranked team, that’s better competition than they concacaf kiddies the US be facing