A last-minute goal by Turkey spoiled the return to the field of Christian Pulisic, who looked good after coming on as a substitute in the United States' 3-2 loss on Thursday night at SoFi Stadium.

'Team USA', which had already secured the lead in Group D of the World Cup, will play on July 1 against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32. That match will take place in Santa Clara.

The eighth minute of added time was being played when Türkiye made the Americans smile with a goal that practically left them lying on the field.

The talented Arda Güler brought a final attack to life by tunneling near the corner. The play progressed and Can Uzun received the ball on the other side of the area for a filtered pass - between the legs of goalkeeper Matt Turner - that Kaan Ayhan finished with a sweep to the far post.

The goal stunned the home players and fans, who were looking to close the group stage undefeated. The US could not emulate its neighbor and co-host of the World Cup, Mexico, winner of its three games.

Mauricio Pochettino, like his Mexican colleague Javier Aguirre did the previous night, made changes to his lineup - many - and brought on men who had not seen action, including the World Cup debut of the talented Mexican-American Alejandro Zendejas, sent in as a substitute in the 76th minute.

Early morning of 'Team USA'

The United States took advantage of the Turks' slow start to the game to take the lead. It took them only 2 minutes and 14 seconds when Auton Trusty calmly lowered Sebastian Berhalter's corner kick in the area and shot the goalkeeper with a left-footed shot off the post. Turkey's defensive facilities were alarming.

But Türkiye, which was eliminated from the match after losing its first games against Australia and Paraguay, reacted well.

The star Arda Güler, a Real Madrid player, shook the nets with a left-footed shot after receiving the pass from Baris Yilmaz in the 10th minute, a quality goal that originated when the 21-year-old merengue midfielder beat Mark McKenzie. Thus, the Turks ended the 190-minute drought in this World Cup.

It is worth mentioning that McKenzie's goal was disallowed in the 29th minute, as his free counterattack in the six-yard box was offside.

Türkiye turned around

The European team took the lead at 31' with its best play of the entire World Cup up to that point. Kenan Yildiz, Güler and Eren Elmali combined on the left side in a great team display to disarm the rival defense with a triangulation. Elmali's diagonal was finished off in the area by Orkun Kokcu, who plays for Besiktas in his country, to beat goalkeeper Matt Turner and make it 2-1.

As happened in the first half, the United States found the goal almost immediately in the second half. A ball into the Turkish area on a throw-in was rejected and Sebastian Berhalter appeared with a powerful right-footed shot that hit goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir's post in the 49th minute. The ball was barely avoided by American Weston McKennie, with a jump inside the area. It was a great goal to make it 2-2.

The comeback of Christian Pulisic

At minute 58, most of the 70,492 spectators at SoFi Stadium (Los Angeles Stadium) rose to their feet to applaud Christian Pulisic, who shined in the first 45 minutes of the June 12 match against Paraguay before leaving with a calf injury. The star did not see action in his team's previous game.

Pulisic immediately made his presence felt on the court with two forays to the baseline, including one in the 62nd minute when his left-footed shot was saved by goalkeeper Cakir, while Brenden Aaronson's countershot went wide. A minute later, the ball came to the AC Milan forward in the area on a corner kick, but he did not make good contact and the Turkish goalkeeper, with great effort, deflected the ball towards the post before leaving the field.

Very active in his reappearance in a pending match, Pulisic came close again in the 77th minute with a left-footed shot from outside the area that went wide. He played well, he looked fast and that was perhaps the best thing for coach Pochettino and the national team.

Goal opportunities were scarce in the last 15 minutes before the surprise Turkish score in the final moments. Türkiye leaves the World Cup with a triumph of honor and its image tarnished after the previously consummated failure.

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