DOHA, Qatar — Christian Pulisic learned the U.S. had advanced to the World Cup’s round of 16 by staring at a cellphone in a hospital examination room. Which is odd because it was Pulisic’s goal that had sent the Americans there.
But the scoring play ended with Pulisic sliding into Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand, whose knee slammed into Pulisic’s ... well, we’ll get to that in a minute. The important thing is the ball wound up in the net, the U.S. hung on for a 1-0 victory and will meet the Netherlands on Saturday in the first round of elimination games.
Pulisic, meanwhile, wound up in the hospital where he was diagnosed with a pelvic contusion, a condition that is a lot more painful than it sounds. But not, apparently, as painful as it could have been.
