Drama in Manaus as USA and Portugal play out epic draw

Photo: Varela celbrates his stoppage time leveler against the USA. The game between Portugal and the USA ended 2-2 (AP)

The FIFA World Cup in Brazil keeps serving up epic encounters and the final game of day 11 between European heavy weights Portugal and CONCACAF representatives USA provided another thriller in Manaus.

Portugal began the game knowing there was no room for error. Simply put, nothing less than a win was required.  Paulo Bento’s men started the game on the front foot and were ahead with barely five minutes on the clock when winger Nani put them ahead.  The USA defenders failed to clear their lines and the ball fell to the winger who blasted the ball past Tim Howard and into the roof of the net to give his team the perfect start.

The USA slowly worked their way into the game and right back Fabian Johnson, who was fed down the flank, cut inside unto his left foot and fired off a shot which was blocked behind for a corner kick. The USA got a free kick just outside the area when Jones was brought down by Alves. Dempsey’s effort went just over the crossbar.

The injury worries continued to pile up for Portugal when Postiga had to be replaced by Eder in the 16^th minute. A minute later Bradley played in Dempsey down the channel and the striker saw his shot blocked by the Bento for a corner.

Portugal was being careless in possession allowing Bradley, Johnson and Zusi to get on the ball and dictate the pace from midfield. Bradley tried his luck from distance in the 22^nd minute but it was always rising. Johnson saw his effort from the edge of the box go just wide of the near post as the USA asked questions of the Portuguese defenders.

Ronaldo had his first shot on target in the 36^th minute but it was straight at Howard who held on comfortably. Three minutes before half time Ronaldo led a quick Portuguese counter attack and picked out Nani with his cross. The goal scorer fired a hard shot on target but he too fired straight at Howard. Nani managed to recover the ball and won a free kick which was fired high over the top by Ronaldo.

A minute before the break, Howard kept his team in the contest with a fine double save. First he pushed an effort from Nani unto the upright before tipping the follow up header from Eder over the crossbar. It was a magnificent effort from the Everton keeper.

Eder threatened to double Portugal’s lead three minutes after the break but failed to make proper contact with the ball from 16 yards out. The USA countered quickly and Bento had to push a Johnson cross around the post for a corner.

Portugal then tried to suck the air out of the game, slowing it down to a crawl but the USA were almost level in the 56^th minute when another cross from Johnson evaded the reach of Bento and it took a magnificent effort from Ricardo Costa to clear a shot from Bradley off the line.

Bradley started to find time and space on the ball to pull the strings in the middle of the park as the USA took control of the match. They were level in the 64^th minute when Jermaine Jones latched on to a loose ball just outside the area after a poor effort at clearance from Nani. Jones slipped by another weak challenge from Nani before bending a shot beyond the despairing dive of Beto to make the score 1-1.

Portugal looked flat and the USA appeared to want it more. Their efforts were rewarded nine minutes from time when captain Clint Dempsey bundled the ball over the line with his mid-riff to give his team an improbable lead. The Portuguese players all appealed for offside but the game stood.

When Ronaldo headed wide of the far post in the 89^th minute from a Moutinho cross it appeared all over for the World Player of the Year and his teammates. But there were five minutes of stoppage time to be played and this World Cup has been full of drama.

With just about 30 seconds left of the five minutes, Ronaldo whipped in the perfect cross for Varela to head home and earn his team a point but more importantly keep their faint world cup hopes alive.