USA enjoying Dutch battle, with or without Pulisic

The United States are in the last 16 of the World Cup, but will Christian Pulisic be with them when they face the Netherlands on Saturday?

When Sergino Dest’s header was turned in, Pulisic collided with goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand, suffering a blow to the abdomen, and was taken off at half-time.

United States coach Gregg Berhalter later confirmed that the forward, named player of the match even after his early exit, was taken to hospital “as a precaution” as he felt a dizziness after the injury.

With the Netherlands facing the United States in the Round of 16, Pulisic will be hoping to return in time, especially as he has been involved in both goals in the tournament so far.

“We Facetimed him from the locker room afterward and we saw him and he’s in a good mood,” Berhalter said.

“I guess he had his phone with him and had updates [on the game].”

“We deserve to be in this position”

Berhalter needed a victory for his side to make the round of 16, against opponents who would have gone through with a draw.

He was credited with a “determined” and “focused” performance as the US looked to hold on to its slim lead.

“It was a tough proposition knowing that Iran might only need a draw to go through. That made the game a bit more complicated,” Berhalter said.

“But I saw a tremendous amount of focus. The end of the game is what I’m most proud of — it was extreme determination not to give up.”

Berhalter wouldn’t shy away from questions about how far the United States could go, having reached the round of 16 for the third time in four World Cups.

“I’m sure there are a lot of people watching. American journalists will talk to you about the definition of this group and I think it’s starting to take shape,” he added.

“You see how unified [the players] they are and how much energy they put into it and along the way there is some pretty good football.

“It’s a great opportunity but it’s not something we go into thinking it’s an honour. We deserve to be in the position we’re in and we want to continue.

“We don’t want to be home next Wednesday.”

“Give prestige to Iran’s shirt”

It has been a turbulent tournament for Iran as a controversy he has dominated proceedings off the pitch amid anti-government protests at home.

Coach Carlos Queiroz, who has tried to debate questions about politics to ease the pressure on his players, was left to ponder a group stage exit after two defeats in three games.

“Football always punishes the team that doesn’t score. The team that scored in the first half deserved it,” said Queiroz.

“We created chances that we did not score and we are punished with the result. The draw was the right result, but in football there is no such thing as justice.

“I am very proud and honored to have the opportunity to coach the Iran team and players.”

In the build-up to their final match with the USA, there were reports that the families of the Iranian squad were threatened with imprisonment and torture if the players did not “behave”.

“We have heard several stories about threats the players have received, but having said that, what I can say is that thanks to his work, the players have slowly started to smile again,” said Queiroz.

“They understood who they were playing for and they understood their mission. I am very happy that they were able to respond on the pitch and honor their country’s shirt.”

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