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Tillman’s set-piece prowess writes World Cup history
Malik Tillman was one of the United States of America's key men at the World Cup 2026, using his set-piece expertise as a secret weapon. In fact, the number 17 found the net again in the early hours of Tuesday morning against Belgium, and achieved a rare feat.
The Bayer Leverkusen man entered World Cup history as the first player in 44 years to score two direct free-kick goals in the same edition of the tournament.
This had not happened since the 1982 tournament, when Bernard Genghini was the last player to set that record, with goals against Kuwait and Austria. That year, France finished in fourth place after losing to Poland, who took third.
Looking again at the North American's numbers, Malik Tillman was one of the USA's most creative players, ending the competition with two goals and one assist. He featured in every match, starting four of the five games played.
At club level, the 24-year-old midfielder came through the Bayern München youth ranks and even made appearances for the first team, but a lack of opportunities in the squad led to two straight loan spells at Rangers and PSV.
In 2024/25, he signed permanently for the Dutch side, but his strong performances took him back to the Bundesliga via Bayer Leverkusen - the club he represents to this day.
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