USA stumble into World Cup knockout rounds after goalless draw with Portugal

Alex Morgan sent two efforts wide of the near post as the Stars and Stripes looked to seize the initiative early on, but with qualification for the round of 16 on the line, their opponents had no intention of slipping away silently. Indeed, Andreia Norton fired one whipped shot over the bar, before Jéssica Silva should have done better when sliding off target from the edge of the box.

The USA had the majority of the chances though, with the best of them falling to Lynn Williams, who saw a close range shot saved before putting the rebound over the bar. At the other end, Kika Nazareth clattered over the bar, before Inês Pereira was called into action once again by Williams, who fired straight at the goalkeeper from inside the area.

With the Netherlands hammering Vietnam in the other game in Group E, Portugal knew they needed to win to reach the knockout stages, but they struggled to find any momentum. Morgan had a goalbound effort cleared off the line as Vlatko Andonovski’s side looked to turn the screw, but they were far from their fluent attacking best, as shown by Julie Ertz missing the target from close range.

Eight minutes of injury time ushered in a frantic climax to the game, with Morgan blazing one further effort wide before States received an almighty let off as Ana Capeta smashed against the post when through one-on-one. That proved to be Portugal’s final chance though, as they were ultimately the width of the woodwork away from progressing, but suffered a heartbreaking elimination despite an impressive display against the USA, who failed to score in a World Cup group game for the first time since 2015.

Flashscore Player of the Match: Lindsey Horan (USA)