Half-time: USA 3 Portugal 1
The USA stunned Portugal by taking a 3-1 half-time lead against a side rated by many as outside contenders to win the World Cup.
John O’Brien, Landon Donovan and Brian McBride were the all-American heroes as the Portuguese were severely embarrassed.
The opening goal came after only three minutes. Earnie Stewart whipped in a corner from the left, McBride thumped an excellent header goalwards and when Portugal keeper Vitor Baia could only parry his effort, Ajax midfielder O’Brien slammed in the loose ball gleefully.
Two minutes later and Baia nearly handed the USA a second. Stewart’s direct free-kick should have been dealt with easily by the Porto keeper, but he merely blocked the shot and Eddie Pope struck the side-netting from a tight angle.
Joao Pinto attempted to get the Portuguese back into the game but Pope did enough to distract him and his header was straight at Brad Friedel.
USA looked dangerous on the break though, and Donovan’s penetrating runs worried Portugal on two occasions, before he was not too far off the mark with a volley from the edge of the area.
Portugal looked half-asleep and Pauleta should have done much better than flick a header wide from a promising position after he connected with Luis Figo’s free-kick.
There was doziness in defence too, and it took a timely challenge by Jorge Costa to halt Donovan after Fernando Couto’s appalling pass across the defence.
The punishment that Portugal had been inviting finally came after 28 minutes, even if there was a freakish element to the American goal.
Another terrible pass allowed Stewart to intercept, Donovan picked up the pieces and his cross deflected off Costa’s back and past the wrong-footed and despairing Baia.
Ten minutes before the break, Stewart could have made it three but Baia managed to get a hand to his volley.
Seconds later, and it was 3-0. Anthony Sanneh surged down the left flank and produced a cross from the byline that could not have been bettered.
It curved away from Baia and McBride’s diving header was simply awesome.
Portugal desperately needed a reply, and it finally came when Figo’s corner caused chaos in the USA defence. Beto won the header, it struck an American defender and the Portuguese defender rifled the ball past Friedel.
Rui Costa struck a dipping volley in first-half injury time, but it bounced wide of the post.
