Soccer-Pulisic sends fired-up U.S. to last 16 in simmering contest with Iran

Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Group B - Iran v United States - Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar - November 29, 2022 Christian Pulisic of the U.S. scores their first goal Pool via REUTERS/Stuart Franklin

DOHA (Reuters) -The United States stormed into the World Cup last 16 on Tuesday by beating Iran 1-0 at a cacophonous Al Thumama Stadium after Christian Pulisic bundled the ball home in a Group B showdown shrouded by decades of enmity between the two nations.

Pulisic's 38th minute goal proved enough for the Americans to advance at the expense of their geopolitical rivals in a rematch of their 1998 World Cup group stage meeting, which Iran had won 2-1 at a time when bilateral relations were hostile.