The US beat Senegal 3-2: Christian Pulisic and Sadio Mane engaged in a dramatic comeback.

The US national team had an important warm-up for their World Cup campaign with a narrow 3-2 victory over Senegal in a dramatic friendly at Bank of America. Christian Pulisic played the role of playmaker in the first half, while Sadio Mane proved his class with a brace, taking full advantage of mistakes from the home team's defense.

Christian Pulisic's explosive performance in the first half.

Coach Mauricio Pochettino fielded his strongest starting lineup with the intention of imposing his game right from the opening whistle. This proactive approach quickly paid off in the 7th minute. From a creative effort by Christian Pulisic, defender Sergiño Dest surged forward and finished from close range, opening the scoring for the US team.

Continuing their momentum, the home team relentlessly pressed the African representatives. In the 20th minute, Ricardo Pepi delivered a precise through pass to Pulisic, who cleverly broke free. The AC Milan star beat goalkeeper Mory Diaw before finishing from a tight angle, increasing the score to 2-0.

Sadio Mane's class and systemic errors

Despite being two goals down, Senegal remained undeterred. In the 44th minute, Habib Diarra unleashed a solo run through the midfield before delivering a perfect pass for Sadio Mane to finish subtly, reducing the deficit to 1-2 before halftime.

Entering the second half, coach Pochettino made a bold decision by changing 10 positions in the lineup to experiment with personnel. However, this excessive reshuffling left the US defense vulnerable. In the 52nd minute, substitute goalkeeper Chris Brady's poor coordination with the defenders allowed Sadio Mane to pounce on the ball and easily equalize the score at 2-2.

Folarin Balogun sealed the victory for the US team.

The match became tense with fierce battles in the midfield. The US team had two goals disallowed due to offside by Folarin Balogun and a foul by Malik Tillman.

The relentless pressure finally paid off in the 63rd minute. From a dangerous cross by Timothy Weah, the Senegal defense fumbled the ball, failing to clear it decisively. Folarin Balogun seized the opportunity and fired a decisive shot into the far corner, securing a 3-2 victory for the United States.

Match statistics

In the final minutes of the match, Senegal launched a full-scale attack, but the US defense played more focused to preserve their advantage. This victory brought great confidence to Mauricio Pochettino's team, while also providing valuable lessons about maintaining stability when making large-scale personnel changes.

Thanh Vinh