AKIPRESS.COM - Portugal have avoided early elimination from the FIFA World Cup™ in the most dramatic of circumstances after Varela's 95th-minute goal secured a 2-2 draw with USA in Manaus, the FIFA said June 23.

The Stars and Stripes had been on the verge of qualifying for the Round of 16 with a game to spare after coming from a goal down to lead 2-1, but were denied in the dying moments of a game that was exhilarating from the first minute to the last.

The US had benefited against Ghana from an early goal, but on this occasion they gifted that advantage to Portugal in the most calamitous of circumstances. The assist for Nani's fifth-minute opener belonged, after all, to Geoff Cameron, who sliced an attempted clearance straight to the Portugal winger. Nani even had time to wait for Tim Howard to commit himself before side-footing confidently into the roof of the net.

The Stars and Stripes went on to dominate the first half, with Clint Dempsey again leading the charge, curling just over from a free-kick on 13 minutes.

Cristiano Ronaldo got a sight of goal after 36 minutes, though his long-range effort was just a little too straight to cause Howard undue difficulty.

The Americans on 64 minutes drew level with a goal straight out of the top drawer. Jermaine Jones was the man responsible, jinking inside Nani 25 yards from goal and curling in a magnificent right-foot shot that bent just inside the far post, with Beto left utterly helpless. It was a goal reminiscent of Lionel Messi's winner for Argentina against Iran - only with Jones doing the damage on his right foot - and it was received just as ecstatically.