Legendary footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic has backed the United States to make a deep FIFA World Cup run after their 2-0 victory over Australia secured consecutive World Cup wins for the first time since 1930. He believes the Americans have the momentum, confidence and home support needed to compete for football's biggest prize. The United States secured their place in the World Cup knockout stage with a 2-0 victory over Australia in Seattle, extending its winning streak to two matches. An early own goal by Cameron Burgess and a well-taken header from Alex Freeman sealed the result, marking the Americans' second consecutive triumph of the tournament.

"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 while speaking on Fox Sports after the match, as per Goal.com.

"I said it before, that whatever happened before the World Cup (doesn't matter). It is important what happens now. Now, the momentum they have, that is what they need. They just need to continue bringing confidence from game to game. 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 result was a significant milestone for the US, which recorded back-to-back World Cup victories for the first time since 1930.

-NDTV Sports