An astounding Silvestra Varela leveler, assisted by Cristiano Ronaldo, in the dying seconds of their Group H do-or-die match help Portugal hold off the valiant USA as the Selecção das Quinas cling on to their World Cup hopes.
Published : 23 Jun 2014, 03:32 AM
Final Score: Portugal 2 - 2 USA (HT 1 - 0)
Goal Scorers: 5' Nani (POR), 64' Jones (USA), 81' Dempsey (USA), 90+5' Varela (POR)
Game Statistics:
USA vs. POR
5 Shots on Goal 6
6 Shots off Goal 12
3 Blocked Shots 2
11 Crosses 21
6 Corners 4
1 Offsides 4
1 Yellow cards 0
0 Red cards 0
50% Ball Possession 50%
What a drama here at the the Arena Amazônia. Startling last-gasp equaliser blows the Group G wide open. Germany and USA are on 4 points each while Ghana and Portugal have 1 points. If USA can get a point against Germany they will go through in second place and Germany will top the group. So there's that...
90+6' The referee blows the final whistle.
90+5' GOOOAAAAAALLLLL!!! VARELLLLAAA! PORTUGAL DRAW LEVEL! Ronaldo sends a cross in the box where Silvestre Varela meets the ball with a powerful thrusting header to hit the back of the net and keep Portugal’s World Cup dreams alive with less than 20 seconds of added time to be played.
90+3' Cross comes in and Ronaldo meets it. Wide. Goal kick. Jones is down and looks absolutely exhausted. Less than two minutes of stoppage time left.
90' Five minutes of added time to be played on.
89' Ronaldo heads it wide! Great ball from Joao Moutinho to Ronaldo in the box. Almost a free header, but he fails to hit the target!
87' US sub: Dempsey off, Chris Wondolowski on. Dempsey becomes the only US player to have scored in three World Cups. That was a goal worthy of the captain's armband.
86' Ronaldo is free on goal as the ball pings around the US box. But he, and two other Portuguese players are offside.
83' DaMarcus Beasley is down injured and receives medical attention on the field. He is injured and is taken off the field to receive medical treatment.
82' Portugal 1, USA 2 and we are just minutes away from stoppage time.
81' GOOOAAAAALLLLLL!!! DEMPSEYYYYYY!!! THE USA CAPTAIN SENDS FANS INTO RAPTURE!!! USA IN FRONT!!! INCREDIBLE! Jones plays a great ball in for Johnson on the right, he crosses it from the byline. It's deflected, but right to Bradley at the penalty spot. Bradley shots, the ball falls to Zusi. Zusi crosses it to Dempsey and Dempsey chests slash lower torsos the ball into an empty net.
78' Portugal’s approach has taken a U-turn after conceding the equalizer. They are charging with full-frontal attack.
78' Matt Besler is down injured and receives medical attention on the field.
75' First yellow card of the match. USA’s Jermaine Jones charges Joao Moutinho from behind to be cautioned.
72' Alejandro Bedoya is leaving the field to be replaced by DeAndre Yedlin in a tactical substitution.
69' Portugal’s Raul Meireles is leaving the field to be replaced by Silvestre Varela in a tactical substitution. A midfielder for winger/wide forward change. Portugal need a win here.
65' The US compensate for that wonderful moment with some shaky defending. Keeper Howard bails them out.
64' GOOOOOOAAAAAALLL!!! JERMAINE JONES!! Jones from USA scores from outside the box!! USA draws level. A wonderful strike! The US win a corner Portugal only clear it to Jones who is out on the left of the box. He takes a touch inside and BELTS a curling strike into the right side netting from maybe 30 yards? WOW! Great goal and GREAT timing.
62' RONALDOOOOOOOO!!! Way off target. Ronaldo breaks! And shoots about five yards wide from ten yards out. No way is he fully fit. Not even close.
62' Just how Bradley didn't score there is a mystery. That is tough to watch on replay.
58' Nani from Portugal directs the ball behind the defence, but the US keeper comes out and claims it.
56' GOAL LINE CLEARANCE!!! Ricardo Costa to keep Portugal up. Johnson squares to Bradley who is six yards out. He sidefoots a shot at goal with only Costa to beat, but the defender gets a thigh to it.
52' Portugal corner, although replays show it shouldn't really be. Eder's shot didn't hit a US player. No matter. Jones clears and Dempsey wins a free kick which the US takes quickly and starts a counter attack but the ball gets stuck under Bradley's feet slightly as he tires to play Dempsey through on goal.
48' Another mistake from Geoff Cameron. A cross comes in, and he slams it against Beasler. Eder hits volley over the bar.
At the other end, Johnson drills a cross shot at Beto and wins a corner. The US waste it.
46' Portugal get the second-half underway. Sub: Almeida off, William on for Portugal.
Half-time score: Portugal 1 - 0 USA
45+3' Referee blows for halftime!
45' EDEEEERRRRR!!! SUPER SAVE FROM THE USA KEEPER TIM HOWARD!!! The 35-year-old makes a great save! That keeps the US in the game. A long range shot comes off the post, and as Howard is trying to get back into position, Eder put the ball behind and above him. Leaning back and falling away from the ball, he tips it over. Corner. Ronaldo heads over.
42' Portugal start a counter attack. Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal passes the ball to Nani on the right. A shot from Nani from outside the box is parried by the US keeper and goes back into play.
41' The match resumes with a drop ball.
39' The game is paused so the players can take some liquids on-board.
38' Compared to their first match, US passes are tighter and they have better separation.
36' Cristiano Ronaldo lets fly from outside the box, but the keeper saves it.
35' Jermaine Jones lets fly from outside the box, but the keeper saves it.
35' Ronaldo looks anything but fully fit but Portugal fighting hard.
33' Joao Moutinho from Portugal passes the ball in the box, but it's intercepted by an opponent player.
32' Great move from the US. Some pinged midfield passes lead to Bradley dummying for Dempsey, who turns and charges to the left. He feeds Johnson who let's a cannon of a shot go from 25ish yards. It's just wide and thumps against the advertising boards. So close!
30' Cristiano Ronaldo directs the ball behind the USA defence, but it's intercepted by an opponent player.
29' USA’s Michael Bradley tries his luck from distance but fails to hit the target
28' Graham Zusi from USA swings in the corner. Nani relieves the pressure with a clearance
27' Graham Zusi from USA finds a team mate in the box with a good pass. Clint Dempsey has a shot deflected off target for a corner.
25' USA have had 37% of possession compared to Portugal’s 63%.
24' Bradley has a shot from 25 yards! Jones squares him the ball, he takes a touch and has a go at goal. It's high but that is better from the US!
24' USA are playing aggressively despite being down.
23' Some promising interchange from the US as Zusi skips around to the right of the Portugal penalty area. He gets the ball on his left foot, and oooohhhf, sends a terrible cross all the way to the corner flag.
22' Graham Zusi from USA crosses the ball but it is nowhere near the intended target.
22' Portugal’s Joao Moutinho shoots, but his effort was never close to hitting the target.
21' Portugal goalkeeper comes out of the box to relieve the pressure with a clearance.
18' USA’s Graham Zusi takes the corner, which comes to Dempsey at the far post. He tries to loft the ball back over the keeper fro close range. He doesn't, but he's not too far off. Would have been a spectacular piece of skill.
17' Michael Bradley from USA directs the ball behind the defence. A shot from Clint Dempsey goes to a corner kick after a save by the keeper. Goes out for a USA corner.
16' Helder Postiga is down injured and receives medical attention on the field. Helder Postiga is injured and is replaced by Eder.
15' Judging by his reaction, Meireles has been stabbed repeatedly in the face by Kyle Beckerman. The replay suggests Meireles wasn't touched in the face.
14' Portugal’s Raul Meireles is down injured and receives medical attention on the field.
13' Clint Dempsey takes a direct free kick, but the shot goes wide
12' Bruno Alves fouls Fabian Johnson. USA get a free kick 20 yards from the goal.
12' Bruno Alves fouls Fabian Johnson.
10' USA's Fabian Johnson surges down the left and wins a corner. Zuzi hits it to the near post and Portugal clear easily.
8' The US really does have an awful habit of conceding early goes. Now they have to fight back in the Manaus heat.
8' Bruno Alves from Portugal tries to head the ball to a team mate, but the keeper is first to it.
8' Miguel Veloso from Portugal swings in the corner.
7' Andre Almeida from Portugal tries to send the ball into the area but his cross is blocked by an opponent. Goes for a corner.
6' Geoff Cameron will not want to see the replays of that. A simple, side-footed clearance that he just whiffed and put straight on to Nani's foot.
5' Portugal 1 – 0 USA
5' GOAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLL!!! PORTUGAL LEAD!! NANI SCORES! The US fluffs an easy clearance and Nani collects it six yards out on the right. He stutters, Howard dives, and he slams it home. That was bad defending from the US. As bad a start now as their start against Ghana was good.
2' The US tries to find Dempsey long and wide on the left. He's on his own and can't make anything of it. Portugal goal kick. How he can do as the lone striker will be a big part of the US' success or failure.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo gets his first touch and the crowd roars.
2' The humidity is high at Manaus.
1' Ronaldo not fully fit, says the commentator.
1' USA kick things off at the Arena Amazônia.
Lineups:
Portugal: 22-Beto; 21-Joao Pereira, 13-Ricardo Costa, 2-Bruno Alves, 19-Andre Almeida; 4-Miguel Veloso, 8-Joao Moutinho, 16-Raul Meireles; 7-Cristiano Ronaldo, 23-Helder Postiga, 17-Nani
Substitutes: 1-Eduardo, 5-Fabio Coentrao, 6-William Carvalho, 9-Hugo Almeida, 10-Vierinha, 11-Eder, 12-Rui Patricio, 14-Luis Neto, 15-Rafa Silva, 18-Silvestre Varela, 20-Ruben Amorim
United States: 1-Tim Howard; 23-Fabian Johnson, 5-Matt Besler, 20-Geoff Cameron, 7-DaMarcus Beasley; 15-Kyle Beckerman, 4-Michael Bradley, 13-Jermaine Jones, 19-Graham Zusi, 11-Alejandro Bedoya; 8-Clint Dempsey
Substitutes: 2-DeAndre Yedlin, 3-Omar Gonzalez, 6-John Brooks, 9-Aron Johansson, 10-Mix Diskerud, 12-Brad Guzan, 14-Brad Davis, 16-Julian Green, 17-Jozy Altidore, 18-Chris Wondolowski, 21-Timmy Chandler, 22-Nick Rimando
Referee: Nestor Pitana (Argentina)
The build-up to many games in this World Cup, has been centered around one star player. When Brazil play it's all about Neymar, when Argentina play Messi grabs the headlines and when Portugal play it's certainly all about Cristiano Ronaldo. However unlike Brazil or Argentina, Portugal don't have a wealth of talent to call upon if their talisman isn't firing. Ronaldo is Bento's Plan A, B and C. Therefore often it truly feels that CR7 is carrying the hopes of a nation.