USA 2 - 2 PORTUGAL
Nani 5'
Jones 64'
Dempsey 81'
Varela 90' +5
Silvestre Varela's equaliser deep into injury
time kept Portugal in the World Cup as their
Group G clash with the USA ended in a
dramatic draw in Manaus.
The substitute headed in a Cristiano Ronaldo
cross after it appeared Clint Dempsey had sent
the Americans through.
Portugal took an early lead through Nani, but
Jermaine Jones' superb strike levelled the scores
just after an hour.
A draw between Germany and USA will see both
through, while Portugal must beat Ghana to
have a chance of progressing.
Portugal are relying on a Germany win and must
also achieve a six-goal swing if they are to pip
the USA to second place and reach the last 16.
Realistically, they had needed to win in the
Amazonian rainforest after a 4-0 thrashing by
Germany in their opening game, but their
performance was at least a marked improvement
on that showing in Salvador.
For the USA - who had opened with a late win
over Ghana - this was a performance
characterised by attacking verve and defensive
slackness, the latter allowing the European side
to race into a fifth-minute lead, and also to hit
back with the final whistle seconds away.
Their first defensive lapse came when Geoff
Cameron sliced an attempted clearance across
the face of his goal to Nani, the Manchester
United winger finishing emphatically past
Everton keeper Tim Howard.
The early goal stung the Americans into action,
and they chased the game to create decent
chances from which Clint Dempsey and Michael
Bradley failed to test Portugal keeper Beto.
But while Portugal looked vulnerable to the
USA's rapid counter-attacks, they remained a
threat going forward themselves and went close
to doubling their lead just before the break
when Nani struck the post from outside the
area, and Eder's follow-up was brilliantly pushed
over by Howard.
Ronaldo's participation had been in some doubt
following a bout of tendonitis in his left knee,
and while the World Player of the Year looked
good when supplying his team mates, his
finishing was wayward.
Ten minutes into the second half, Bradley
should have equalised, but the midfielder's
side-footed shot from close range was superbly
cleared off the line by Ricardo Costa.
The miss was soon forgotten, though, when Jones
side-stepped Nani before bending in a brilliant
shot from outside the box beyond the static
Beto.
With less than 10 minutes to go, Dempsey
stooped to guide the ball in off his midriff from
close range for what looked to be the winner,
until the defence switched off again in the 94th
minute and Varela dived to meet Ronaldo's cross
and claim what might still turn out to be a
crucial point.
USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann: "When you
concede in the last second it is unfortunate, but
it was an amazing game from us - I can't ask for
any more. Now we have to get a result against
Germany and that is what we are going to do.
"We will take even more confidence into the
next game. It will be another final but that is
what the World Cup is about.
"Germany played yesterday and so have more
time to recover. We played in the Amazon and
they haven't had to travel much. Everything has
been made easy for the favourites, whereas we
have to struggle to go through, but that is what
we will do."
Portugal manager Paulo Bento: "It's clearly not
a good result for us. The 2-2 doesn't put us out
of the World Cup mathematically, but it does
leave us in a very difficult situation.
"Not just because of what we'll need to do
against Ghana, but also because we'll need a
favourable result from the Germany-United
States game.
"We were unlucky late in the first half, but it
was a great effort to level the match (in second-
half stoppage time).
"Now all we can do is to give everything in our
very last game and try and make the most of the
very little chance that we have left."
SOURCE - BBCSPORT
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Nani 5'
Jones 64'
Dempsey 81'
Varela 90' +5
Silvestre Varela's equaliser deep into injury
time kept Portugal in the World Cup as their
Group G clash with the USA ended in a
dramatic draw in Manaus.
The substitute headed in a Cristiano Ronaldo
cross after it appeared Clint Dempsey had sent
the Americans through.
Portugal took an early lead through Nani, but
Jermaine Jones' superb strike levelled the scores
just after an hour.
A draw between Germany and USA will see both
through, while Portugal must beat Ghana to
have a chance of progressing.
Portugal are relying on a Germany win and must
also achieve a six-goal swing if they are to pip
the USA to second place and reach the last 16.
Realistically, they had needed to win in the
Amazonian rainforest after a 4-0 thrashing by
Germany in their opening game, but their
performance was at least a marked improvement
on that showing in Salvador.
For the USA - who had opened with a late win
over Ghana - this was a performance
characterised by attacking verve and defensive
slackness, the latter allowing the European side
to race into a fifth-minute lead, and also to hit
back with the final whistle seconds away.
Their first defensive lapse came when Geoff
Cameron sliced an attempted clearance across
the face of his goal to Nani, the Manchester
United winger finishing emphatically past
Everton keeper Tim Howard.
The early goal stung the Americans into action,
and they chased the game to create decent
chances from which Clint Dempsey and Michael
Bradley failed to test Portugal keeper Beto.
But while Portugal looked vulnerable to the
USA's rapid counter-attacks, they remained a
threat going forward themselves and went close
to doubling their lead just before the break
when Nani struck the post from outside the
area, and Eder's follow-up was brilliantly pushed
over by Howard.
Ronaldo's participation had been in some doubt
following a bout of tendonitis in his left knee,
and while the World Player of the Year looked
good when supplying his team mates, his
finishing was wayward.
Ten minutes into the second half, Bradley
should have equalised, but the midfielder's
side-footed shot from close range was superbly
cleared off the line by Ricardo Costa.
The miss was soon forgotten, though, when Jones
side-stepped Nani before bending in a brilliant
shot from outside the box beyond the static
Beto.
With less than 10 minutes to go, Dempsey
stooped to guide the ball in off his midriff from
close range for what looked to be the winner,
until the defence switched off again in the 94th
minute and Varela dived to meet Ronaldo's cross
and claim what might still turn out to be a
crucial point.
USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann: "When you
concede in the last second it is unfortunate, but
it was an amazing game from us - I can't ask for
any more. Now we have to get a result against
Germany and that is what we are going to do.
"We will take even more confidence into the
next game. It will be another final but that is
what the World Cup is about.
"Germany played yesterday and so have more
time to recover. We played in the Amazon and
they haven't had to travel much. Everything has
been made easy for the favourites, whereas we
have to struggle to go through, but that is what
we will do."
Portugal manager Paulo Bento: "It's clearly not
a good result for us. The 2-2 doesn't put us out
of the World Cup mathematically, but it does
leave us in a very difficult situation.
"Not just because of what we'll need to do
against Ghana, but also because we'll need a
favourable result from the Germany-United
States game.
"We were unlucky late in the first half, but it
was a great effort to level the match (in second-
half stoppage time).
"Now all we can do is to give everything in our
very last game and try and make the most of the
very little chance that we have left."
SOURCE - BBCSPORT
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