NEW YORK, June 20 — Legendary footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic has backed the United States to make a deep run in the FIFA World Cup after a 2-0 victory over Australia secured the Americans’ place in the knockout stage and marked their first consecutive World Cup wins since 1930.
The United States extended its winning streak to two matches with the victory in Seattle, strengthening confidence ahead of the tournament’s knockout rounds.
An early own goal by Australia’s Cameron Burgess and a well-taken header from Alex Freeman sealed the result, giving the hosts another impressive win on home soil.
Speaking on Fox Sports after the match, Ibrahimovic praised the team’s momentum, confidence, and the support of the home crowd.
“If you didn’t believe before, I will repeat: start believing. They have the country behind them, and when you have this support, it’s difficult to beat you. They had a good performance today. To be honest, Australia was not a threat today,” Ibrahimovic said, according to Goal.com.
“I said it before, that whatever happened before the World Cup doesn’t matter. It is important what happens now. The momentum they have is what they need. They just need to continue bringing confidence from game to game.”
Looking ahead, Ibrahimovic suggested the United States could manage its squad carefully after already securing qualification for the next stage.
“The third game, let’s see what happens now. They can rest some players now that they have qualified. It is looking good,” he added.
The victory represented a significant milestone for the United States, which recorded back-to-back World Cup wins for the first time since 1930 and continued its strong start to the tournament. (ANI)
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