Late Portugal Goal Ruins Party for Americans: Portugal 2-2 Draw Vs. USA

Photo Credit: USSoccer.com

By Francisco Romero

Shocking is the only word that I can come up with to describe the final seconds of the USA – Portugal game. 

With less then a minute to go and with a 2-1 lead, the USA team had almost assured itself a place in the next stage of World Cup Play. Thousands of American fans cheered throughout the world, the Spanish broadcaster on the radio was calling Clint Dempsey everything from hero to saint to savior as he scored USA’s second goal. It was a storybook ending to the game.

Suddenly the storybook ending was for Portugal. In the brink of being eliminated from the World Cup, Portugal’s Silvestre Varela came out of nowhere to score on a header that tied the game and kept them alive.

“When you concede a goal in the last second then it’s unlucky. Our boys put in an extraordinary performance. The journey’s now a little bit longer for us, but we want to beat Germany to confirm our place in the Round of 16. I’m a little frustrated with this draw, but we’re going to work hard to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” said USA’s Coach Jurgen Klinsmann after the game.

The US will play Germany next Thursday, a win will send the Americans to the round of 16, but a loss or a tie may keep them from advancing.

The road to the next stage for Portugal is a bit more difficult, but they are still alive.

“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 favorable result from the Germany-United States game, “ said Paulo Bento, Portugal’s coach.