World Cup: U.S. settles for stunning draw with Portugal, advances

AUCKLAND, New Zealand —  Less than a minute into the second half of Tuesday’s scoreless World Cup match between the U.S. and Portugal, a fire alarm sounded in Eden Park, accompanied by verbal instructions to leave the stadium immediately. Nobody went anywhere, but the warning, which continued for an annoying four minutes, seemed appropriate: the U.S. was closer than it had ever been to leaving a women’s World Cup during the group stage.

In fact, the only time the U.S. finished anywhere but first in its group was 2011. The Americans lost to Sweden that year to place second, then rallied to make the tournament final, during which they lost to Japan. This time they advanced by only the thinnest of margins, holding on for a 0-0 tie to finish group play with a win and two draws, good for five points, one better than Portugal. It’s the first time the U.S. has failed to win at least two of its three group-stage games.

The unbeaten Netherlands finished the first round with a resounding 7-0 victory over Vietnam to win the group. But it never should have come to this, with the U.S. settling for a draw against a team it outscored 39-0 during 10 previous games, all wins.

Portugal was playing in its first World Cup, the penultimate team to qualify for the expanded 32-team field. The U.S. has won the tournament four times. Yet on Tuesday, in a game the U.S. had everything to play for, the Americans ended the night even with Portugal on the scoreboard.

And the U.S. was lucky that was as bad as it got since second-half substitute Ana Capeta should have won it for Portugal in stoppage time, but her right-footed shot from the top of the box struck the right post and bounced out.

“Today was just simply uninspiring, disappointing,” former U.S. star Carli Lloyd said during Fox’s postgame broadcast. “They don’t look fit, they’re playing as individuals and the tactics are too predictable.”

Needing at least a draw to assure itself a place in the World Cup’s knockout round — and a barrage of goals to maintain its lead in the tiebreaking goal-differential over the Netherlands — the U.S. came out flat, disjointed and disconnected. Not so the Dutch. So while the Americans managed just two shots on the goal in the first 24 minutes in Auckland, the Dutch scored four times against Vietnam in Dunedin, erasing a two-goal deficit and taking a two-goal lead in differential.

The goals came in a rush for the Netherlands — Lieke Martens in the eighth minute, Katja Snoejis in the 11^th, Esmee Brugts in the 18^th and Jill Roord in the 23^rd. And though the U.S. was monitoring that game on its bench, the Americans had a bigger problem right in front of them because Portugal wasn’t laying down. The Portuguese had a 2-1 edge in possession through the first half hour and were bending but not breaking deep in their own end.

The Dutch, who went on to win 6-0, added one more score before the first half ended, sending the U.S. into the locker room at halftime a fluke goal away from eliminated. It exited to a cascade of boos from the largely pro-American crowd of 42,958.

The second half — aside from the fire alarm — started a bit better for the Americans, with Alex Morgan rounding goalkeeper Ines Pereira and taking a good shot from a tough angle in the 54^th minute, only to have Portugal’s Diana Gomes rush to the near post to poke to ball beyond the end line.

Pereira, who was banged up a couple of times, finished a gutty performance with six saves, leaving Portugal the width of goalpost away from one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.

Check back soon for more postgame updates.