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Germany Wins, But So Does USA: USMNT Advances, Thanks To Portugal Win
By
Dan Dickinson
Published Jun 26, 2014
Modified Jun 26, 2014
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By
Dan Dickinson
Published Jun 26, 2014
Modified Jun 26, 2014
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A 1-0 loss to Germany would seem like disaster, but it was enough for the US Men to advance to the Round of 16 in the 2014 World Cup. Their 1-0 loss to Germany still allowed them through to the next round, helped in large part by Portugal defeating Ghana 2-1. For the first and only time in US history, we give praise unto Ronaldo.
A draw didn't look in the cards immediately after kickoff. Germany dominated the early game, pinning the US back for the opening ten minutes. The US defense held up, stymieing the German attack - Tim Howard made three saves in the first half, and the defensive line made 11 clearances. The USA slowly crept back into the game, testing the Germany defense with a few shots from outside the box.
In the opposing game, Portugal took a lead off a John Boye own-golazo, and all seemed fine for the USA, as the results were in their favor going into the halftime interval:
But in a short five minute span, the landscape of the group changed dramatically. Thomas Muller drilled a long-range shot into the USA's net to give Germany a 1-0 lead; just moments later, Asamoah Gyan leveld the match for Ghana. With thirty minutes to go, another goal conceded by the US or scored by Ghana would put the USA on the brink of elimination.
With time ticking away and the US looking gassed, it would be Cristiano Ronaldo who would tip things back in the US's favor, scoring the game winner for Portugal that would remove the US from the knife's edge. A poor clearance from Ghana's goalkeeper left CR7 open in the box with the ball bouncing towards him, and he would not be denied his only goal of the tournament.
The results send the USA through to the knockout round in the runner-up position for Group G; they will face the winners of Group H (to be determined later this afternoon, but likely Belgium) on Tuesday, July 1st at 5PM ET. Germany will face the runners-up from Group H on June 30th.
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germany
USMNT
world cup 2014
Dan Dickinson
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