Haji Wright scores twice as USA come back from a goal down to defeat Australia | Australia

US captain Christian Pulisic was forced to retire early due to lower leg pain as the World Cup co-hosts won 2-1 against Australia at Dick’s Sporting Goods Stadium in Colorado on Wednesday.

A brace from striker Haji Wright canceled out a shock early goal from Socceroos left-back Jordy Bos, handing Tony Popovic his first defeat and denying Australia the chance to climb the Fifa rankings and potentially face an easier group at next year’s tournament.

Pulisic, who had returned to the starting lineup after an ankle problem prevented him from playing a substitute role against Ecuador at the weekend, cautiously left the field in the 27th minute after a handful of physical challenges from the physical Socceroos, who had clearly been asked to put pressure on the AC Milan star.

Building on their recently improved performances, the United States began the match with the majority of possession and territory, moving the well-drilled Australian unit up the field. And yet, it was the visiting team who struck first.

Rising star Bos, who was recently voted player of the month in the Dutch Eredivisie, justified his starting place in the 19th minute after his own throw-in near the American box was cleared, allowing the Feyenoord defender to charge through three jumbled white shirts before unleashing a half-volley into the far corner.

It was the only bright offensive spark for Australia in the first half as the United States, like Canada on Saturday, controlled most of the ball and created the most convincing chances while under-pressure coach Mauricio Pochettino continued to prepare his young team for next year’s tournament.

Pulisic was the main outlet for the hosts’ attack and almost orchestrated the equalizer in the next play, charging into the Australian box through the left-centre channel before his cut was snatched away.

But the captain’s influence was cut short when a yellow card from Socceroos defender Jason Geria saw him fall to the grass holding his lower leg, forcing Pochettino to prematurely substitute his star player.

His replacement, Diego Luna, provided the spark the United States needed to come back within a few minutes. While keeping the Australian central players busy, a sharp ball from midfielder Cristian Roldan found striker Haji Wright, who pushed the ball into the top corner to make it 1-1.

From there, the hosts grew in confidence and control, pushing deeper into Australia’s final third and finding more pockets around the box. Wright and Rodan sent their efforts over the crossbar as the half drew to a close, but not before tensions flared after James Sands was repeatedly rammed by frustrated Socceroos.

Nick D’Agostino, who had spent the half chasing shadows, launched into a challenge, while Aiden O’Neill’s sliding tackle left Sands sprawled, leading to a scuffle between the two teams around the central referee, who ended the half early to calm things down.

Australia started the second half brightly, with Bos once again making his way down the left wing before cutting back to O’Neill, who lingered too long on his shot which ultimately crashed into a white shirt. A rare free kick for Australia from just outside the box ricocheted off the hosts’ defensive wall, while some hesitation from US goalkeeper Matt Freese was almost punished by D’Agostino’s thunderbolt.

But the Socceroos’ momentum was halted minutes later after a quick United free-kick flew across the length of the pitch and into the stride of Wright, who cut perfectly inside the scrambling Cam Burgess and curled an effort past Mat Ryan.

Popovic, true to his pre-match pledge to rotate his players, made a quadruple change on the hour to freshen up the Australian attack, bringing on Mo Toure and Nestory Irankundo for D’Agostino and Martin Boyle.

But it was Bos who continued to shine, storming across channels left and right, trying to force his own luck. He almost came off in the 75th minute before the ball got stuck under his own feet, while at the other end Ryan produced a fine rushing save to deny a one-on-one with Luna, who had broken through the Australian backline.

A heavy aerial collision between Bos and Alex Freeman in the 80th minute, followed by an incident involving Balogun off the ball, took the wind out of the game. But Irankunda needed one more chance, making a final charged run to try and find the equalizer, only for his tame shot to be collected by Freese.

The United States managed the rest of the match to claim their first victory in some time, handing Popovic his first defeat as Socceroos boss and denying Australia the chance to potentially clinch an easier group at next year’s World Cup.