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Jozy Altidore.
The United States trailed Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0. But then ... Jozy Altidore.
He set up Eddie Johnson for a tap-in. He scored his first goal. He scored his second goal. He scored his third goal.
Jozy Altidore.
Edin Dzeko scored late to cut the U.S. lead to 4-3, but it wasn't enough. He was no match for Jozy Altidore.
The U.S. had a rough first half, with few players standing out as the very good Bosnians had their way with the Americans. Bosnia were better at the back, they controlled the midfield and both Dzeko and Vedad Ibisevic scored goals up front. The U.S. were hardly in shambles, but they were definitely on the back foot.
Altidore changed that. First, he got on the end of a great long ball from Michael Bradley and with one touch, tapped the ball to Johnson, who knocked it into a wide open net.
The striker equalized with the help of Fabian Johnson, whose sweet through ball left him all alone on goal. Altidore still had work to do and work he did, ripping a shot across goal and just inside the far post to bring the U.S. level.
Bosnia had no answer for Altidore, but they didn't have a chance to stop him when he gave the U.S. a 3-2 lead. Altidore stepped to a free kick and ripped it, just over the wall and curling into the top corner. It was the most spectacular of the U.S. goals and having almost single-handedly taken the U.S. from 2-0 down to 3-2 up, he could have stopped there.
But he didn't. Once again, he linked up with Bradley, but this time he finished it himself for his hat trick and a 4-2 U.S. lead. That goal proved crucial too because of Dzeko's late tally. But he did score it, and Dzeko's tally was late.
Jozy Altidore had won it.
Jozy Altidore.
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