- U.S. was seconds from winning before Portugal scored off Ronaldo cross
- U.S. led 2-1 on Jermaine Jones and Clint Dempsey goals
- Portugal scored an early goal to take a 1-0 lead
- Cristiano Ronaldo plays despite a knee injury
(CNN) -- This time it was the United States that gave up the dramatic goal.
Portugal's Silvestre Varela scored on a strong headed goal deep, deep in stoppage time to give Portugal a desperate 2-2 draw with the United States in a key Group G World Cup match at Manaus, Brazil.
Talk about down to the wire. Silvestre Varela of Portugal scores his team's second goal past United States goalkeeper Tim Howard during a World Cup game at Arena Amazonia in Manaus, Brazil, on Sunday, June 22. The goal, scored with less than one minute left to play, led to a 2-2 draw. 
United States forward Clint Dempsey celebrates after scoring his team's second goal. The goal gave the United States a 2-1 lead, but Portugal stormed back to tie the crucial Group G match. 
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo played as if his injured left knee was no bother. 
Portugal forward Nani jumps for the ball. 
Midfielder Jermaine Jones celebrates after scoring the United States' first goal, in the second half. 
Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal reacts after a play. He failed to score on several good opportunities but made a big pass that led to a Portugal goal. 
Fabian Johnson of the United States battles Raul Meireles of Portugal. 
Clint Dempsey is challenged by several Portugal players during the action on June 22. 
Portugal goalkeeper Beto dives for the ball. He kept the United States scoreless in the first half. 
Portugal midfielder Raul Meireles and U.S. midfielder Kyle Beckerman tumble during the June 22 match in Manaus, Brazil. 
Nani of Portugal scores his team's first goal past U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard. Portugal took a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute of the match. 
United States supporters gather at the Arena Amazonia in Manaus, Brazil. Broadcasters said the heat and humidity were oppressive. 
A Portugal fan shows his spirit in Arena Amazonia in Manaus before the start of the Portugal and United States game on June 22. 
Yacine Brahimi of Algeria, right, celebrates scoring his team's fourth goal during a World Cup game against South Korea at Beira-Rio Stadium in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Algeria won 4-2, its first World Cup victory in 32 years. 
Son Heung-min of South Korea reacts after losing to Algeria. 
Djamel Mesbah of Algeria vies for the ball with Lee Chung-yong of South Korea. 
South Korea's Son Heung-min shoots and scores his team's first goal. 
Hong Jeong-ho of South Korea and Nabil Ghilas of Algeria compete for the ball. 
Algeria's goalkeeper Rais M'bohli makes a save. 
Algerian midfielder Nabil Bentaleb, second left, competes for the ball with South Korean midfielder Ki Sung-yueng, first left, on June 22. 
Islam Slimani of Algeria breaks through South Korean defenses on his way to scoring his team's first goal. 
Son Heung-min of South Korea controls the ball against Madjid Bougherra of Algeria. 
A South Korea fan cheers shows his support. 
South Korea's Koo Ja-cheol reaches for the ball in front of Algeria's Carl Medjani. 
Algerian defender Carl Medjani jumps to head the ball. 
An Algeria fan shows his support. 
Belgian forward Divock Origi reacts after scoring the only goal during a game between Belgium and Russia in Rio de Janeiro. 
Belgian defender Toby Alderweireld heads the ball past Russian forward Alexander Kokorin. 
Toby Alderweireld of Belgium challenges Maksim Kanunnikov of Russia. 
Dries Mertens of Belgium reacts to a play against Russia. 
Belgian defender Vincent Kompany heads the ball past Russia's forward Alexander Kokorin. 
Axel Witsel of Belgium controls the ball. 
Russia's forward Maxim Kanunnikov tumbles. 
Kevin De Bruyne of Belgium tries to dodge a tackle by Vasily Berezutskiy of Russia. 
Belgian supporters cheer for their team. 
Belgium's midfielder Kevin De Bruyne is challenged by Russia's defender Vasily Berezutskiy, left, and midfielder Oleg Shatov. 
Russia supporters kiss during the game. 
Jan Vertonghen of Belgium and Alexander Samedov of Russia compete for the ball. 
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World Cup: The best photos from June 22 The goal, in the 95th minute, came off a cross from Cristiano Ronaldo, who showed no signs of a knee injury that was the subject of much media attention in the buildup to the contest.
Second half strikes by U.S. midfielder Jermaine Jones and striker Clint Dempsey had given the United States a 2-1 lead until Portugal rescued its World Cup chances.
With a draw, the two teams are still in position to qualify for the knockout round, though the United States, with four points, is in much better shape than Portugal (one point), which must beat Ghana (one point) on Thursday and do so decisively.
Ghana could move on if it wins by several goals and either the United States or Germany loses.
The American goals made up for an early U.S. miscue that allowed Portugal to take a 1-0 lead when Nani scored after a U.S clearance attempt went awry.
U.S. defender Geoff Cameron tried to knock away a cross but the ball went to a wide-open Nani, who waited for U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard to go down, then slammed home a shot from 6 yards.
Dempsey scored when midfielder Graham Zusi sent a ball toward goal that the U.S. star redirected into the open net.
Portugal, the fourth-ranked team in the world and one of the pre-tournament favorites in Group G, had the possession edge but couldn't muster another shot after the goal until Ronaldo forced Howard to save his long-distance effort.
Ronaldo, who had a week filled with concerns over the tendinitis in his left knee, was quick and showed flashes of the brilliance that made him world player of the year in 2013. He had several good scoring chances himself but nothing that gave Howard, his former teammate when they played at Manchester United, much to worry over.
Howard had four saves, including an outstanding two-stop sequence on a Nani shot in the first half that he turned off the post and a rebound that he punched away while reaching over his head.
The Portuguese team was missing several key players Sunday. Portugal was missing defender Pepe through a red card suspension and striker Hugo Almeida and defender Fabio Coentrao, who were injured.
Dempsey was playing with a broken nose that he said made it hard to breathe in the Americans' 2-1 dramatic win over Ghana. After the match he said he made it through Sunday's contest without problems.
The United States was missing striker Jozy Altidore, who has a strained left hamstring. Dempsey, normally a midfielder, moved to the top of the U.S. formation in Altidore's place while Zusi slid into the starting lineup.
The game was played in the heat and humidity of the Amazon rainforest. The heat index was 93 degrees at kickoff and the weather seemed to have an effect on the pace of the game as the match moved into the second 45 minutes.
That half was played at a much more measured pace until after the U.S. goals, when Portugal needed a score to keep from being eliminated from the tournament.
The Americans, 13th in the FIFA rankings, were cheered on by about 20,000 red, white and blue fans at Arena Amazonia.
The U.S. and Portugal are the final two of the 32 teams to play their second match. Monday features four matches, two in Group A and two in Group B, as several teams battle for spots and seedings in the next round while others that have been eliminated let some reserves get in a World Cup match.
Source: Top Stories - Google News - http://ift.tt/V3JUre
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