Match Summary · Australia · FIFA World Cup · Football · International · FIFA World Cup · USA · Australia · Cameron Burgess · Alex Freeman · Christian Pulisic
| Metric | USA | Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 63% | 37% |
| Shots | 8 | 5 |
| Shots on target | 2 | 2 |
| Shots off target | 1 | 3 |
| Corners | 7 | 4 |
| Fouls | 12 | 16 |
| Yellow cards | 3 | 4 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
| Offsides | 1 | 0 |
| Goalkeeper saves | 2 | 1 |
So what decided the score and the highlights? It started with Burgess turning the ball into his own net on 10', and it ended, effectively, when Freeman made it 2-0 on 43' before the VAR check upheld it moments later.
Asked how Australia tried to flip the script, the match summary was clear: a triple change arrived at half-time, with Burgess, Nishan Velupillay and Mohamed Toure all withdrawn as Jason Geria, Connor Metcalfe and Irankunda came on. The move brought fresh legs, but not a breakthrough.
The stats told the same story of control - USA had 63% possession and won 7 corners to 4 - while Australia racked up 45 clearances as they spent long spells pinned back. The second half grew spikier too, with late bookings for Harry Souttar and Jacob Italiano, plus USA cautions for Folarin Balogun and Chris Richards.
In the build-up, Tony Popovic had called an earlier tournament win "a source of pride." This time, pride came without points.