United States men’s national team star Christian Pulisic scored the only goal of the game against Iran on Tuesday, but he suffered an injury as a consequence. The lone strike allows the Americans to advance to the knockout round of the World Cup.

Midfielder Weston McKennie started the move in the 38th minute with a beautiful long ball to Sergiño Dest. The fullback headed the ball directly to a running Pulisic inside the box. Pulisic was able to get his foot on the ball before crashing into the Iranian goalkeeper. The U.S. had the goal that they desperately needed.

USMNT fans sweat Christian Pulisic injury

Nevertheless, Pulisic stayed down for a few minutes following the big collision. It appeared that the Chelsea playmaker took a knee from Alireza Beiranvand to an uncomfortable area.

Pulisic did manage to reenter the game for the final minutes of the first half. However, the star was subsequently substituted by head coach Gregg Berhalter before the start of the second period.

FOX Sports reported during the initial stages of the second half that Pulisic suffered an abdominal injury. It was not claimed how serious the setback could possibly be. Although, the fact that the attacker was able to play for a few minutes after the injury is somewhat hopeful.

Young Americans come through

The USMNT entered the match against Iran needing a win to qualify for the knockout round. Berhalter’s young side stepped up and collected the three points when they needed it most. With an average age of just 24, the U.S. starting XI on Tuesday was the youngest at the tournament so far.

Although they did dominate the entire first half, Iran did play fairly well in the second half. USMNT fans surely had thoughts of the Wales match in their minds in the later stages of Tuesday’s game. The Americans, however, held on to the lead against Iran.

Berhalter’s victory means that the USMNT will face the Netherlands on Saturday. The Dutch won Group A of the World Cup after beating Senegal and Qatar, and taking a draw against Ecuador.

PHOTO: IMAGO / Xinhua