The US Men's National Team won their crunch match against Iran at the 2022 World Cup with Christian Pulisic scoring the only goal of the match in the 38th minute.
Manager Gregg Berhalter named the youngest starting lineup in the tournament so far and the result was a battling performance that sent them to the knockout stages where they will face the Netherlands in the last 16.
Iran, needing just a draw to progress beyond the group stage for the first time in its history, offered very little in attack, not registering a single shot on goal.
Here is how VAVEL rated every player that took to the Al Thumama Stadium pitch.
Iran
The goal wasn't his fault, but he may have ended Pulisic's tournament by crashing into him.
Ramin Rezaeian - 6
Invisible in the first half, but played much better in the second 45. Delivered a fine cross that Ghoddos nearly converted in the 52nd minute.
Majid Hosseini - 6
Had a few good challenges, but not much else.
Morteza Pouraliganji - 4
Wasn't great on tracking runs in behind and missed a header he very well could have scored on.
Milad Mohammadi - 2
Was taken off at halftime after failing to cope with Dest's overlapping runs.
Ahmad Nourollahi - 4
Couldn't get on the ball and was generally poor like most of his midfield teammates.
Saeid Ezatolahi - 3
Offered nothing. The game went by him at almost every moment.
Ehsan Haji Safi - 4
Was terrible in the first half, but salvaged his performance in the second.
Ali Gholizadeh - 6
Caused the USA defense all sorts of problems in the second half and was one of the better Iran players on the evening.
Sardar Azmoun - N/A
Not often a starter and one with this quality gets a N/A, but he was that far out of the game.
Mehdi Taremi - 6
Had a gilt-edge chance and was a willing runner up top. Headed inches wide in the second half.
Saman Ghoddos - 6
Was a real spark for Team Melli and quite possibly the best player on the pitch despite being a sub, but also wasted a few chances.
Ali Karimi - 5
Mehdi Torambi - N/A
Abfolazl Jalali - N/A
Karim Ansarifard - N/A
USA
Matt Turner - 6
In fairness, he had little to do and did well to come off his line to stop counters and picked out some good passes with excellent distribution.
Antonee Robinson - 6
Constant presence on the left flank, did well to press high and pin Iran back. Put pressure on the Middle Easterners with high position up the pitch, but failed to stick in a challenge.
Tim Ream - 9
The 35-year-old has been marvelous throughout the tournament, not being beaten once, making a critical interception and was. Excellent possessional distribution and dealt with late Iran pressure well.
Stood out early on in his international debut coming in for Walker Zimmerman and while he could have been better in the air, intercepted passes inted for Azmoun and used his strength to his advantage.
Sergino Dest - 8
Took advantage of the space given to him in wide areas and his inch-perfect ball for Pulisic was the key moment that led up to the goal. Created chances for himself and his teammates.
Yunus Musah - 8
Superb on his 20th birthday. Dominated at both ends and his progressional play is vital to what Berhalter is looking to do. Looked to create at every opportunity and held high volume in the attacking half.
Weston McKennie - 6
Started slow and only marginally picked it up, but he deliver the ball to Dest that led to Pulisic's goal. Taken off after 65 minutes.
Tyler Adams - 8
Was the conduit between attack and defense and was excellent box-to-box with both his distribution and defensive work. Showing he will lead this team for years to come.
Tim Weah - 7
Grew into the game with his drive, was physical in his play and kept the ball out of dangerous areas. Showed a calming presence and his off-ball movement is something to marvel. Brings teammates into attack with his passing.
Josh Sargent - 6.5
Inconsistent on attack, but was more on the field for his ability to start attacking possessions with his hold-up play or off-ball movement. His deflected strike gave Weah a chance to score.
Christian Pulisic - 8.5
He showed today why he's been given the nickname "Captain America". The moment the 24-year-old was waiting for arrived and he didn't miss it. His early running set the tone and he tested Beiranvand with an early header before scoring one of the most important goals in US soccer history.
Brenden Aaronson - 5
To be fair, he was playing in an unnatural position on the left wing, but despite winning a foul late to eat up time, he did very little of note.
Kellyn Acosta - 5
Was less involved here than he was against Wales and made a couple of important tackles, but never got in the flow.
Haji Wright - 6
Came on after Sargent got hurt and didn't really provide the outlet needed to relieve pressure when teammates won back possession. Did keep the ball away from Iran.
Walker Zimmerman - N/A
Not on long enough to earn a grade. Clogged up the middle, but not great passing.
Shaq Moore - N/A
Wasn't very accurate with his passing and played no better than against England. Like Zimmerman, not on long enough to earn a grade.
