Portugal scored a beautiful goal set up by Cristiano Ronaldo with less than 30 seconds left in injury time to break the heart of American fans and earn a 2-2 tie.
Team USA was just seconds away from clinching a spot in the Round of 16, when Ronaldo centered a ball that Silvestre Varela headed in for a goal.
It was a game that was about as much must-win for both teams as possible for the second match of the group stage.
Portugal was reeling after a 4-0 thrashing by Germany; the U.S. wanted to lock up a berth in the knockout round without needing to earn a point on Thursday against a potent German squad.
Both sides generated a number of opportunities. One of the clearest was wasted by Michael Bradley, who had a mostly open net on a rebound, but kicked the ball straight into Portuguese defender Ricardo Costa’s left thigh.
The tie leaves the U.S. tied with Germany with 4 points, though in second place based on goal differential. The Americans now need at least a tie against Germany in order to guarantee their spot in the Round of 16.
The situation is more desperate for Portugal. Tied with Ghana with one point, they need to beat the African squad by a lot of goals, and they need the U.S.-Germany game to not end in a tie.
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