Final Scoreline for Match 45:
USA - 0
GERMANY - 1
(Muller 55')
USA started this match needing only a draw to ensure their R16 spot, and even though they lost it 0-1, they still made it to the Round of 16.
Germany were their usual attacking self for the first 25-odd minutes, but resolute US defense saw them fall back and be content with possession and midfield play. The second half turned out to be more rewarding when Thomas Muller converted a brilliant pass to him into a clear goal, taking Germany ahead.
The US didn't press enough, and reports of Portugal leading Ghana by a slim margin made both teams play ultra-defensive till the final minutes. A few more chances by Germany weren't tried with conviction for converting, so the match stayed that way.
Germany win, and both teams move ahead to the Round of 16.
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Final Scoreline for Match 46:
PORTUGAL - 2
(Boye 31' OG, C. Ronaldo 80')
GHANA - 1
(A. Gyan 57')
This was the more exciting contest of the two. Portugal needed to win big, and their fortunes depended more on the Germany-USA match than their own. The heavier defeat Germany inflicted on the USA, the better chances Portugal had of going through. A 4-goal difference was huge, such was the impact of their huge-margin opening loss to Germany.
Portugal pressed on right from the outset and were very aggressive, unsurprisingly given the task on hand. Cristiano Ronaldo's THREE fantastic chances for goal were thwarted by the Ghana keeper, else Portugal would have been 3-0 within the first 30 minutes already. As things stood, a blunder by the Ghana defense had Portugal in the lead, and that's how they went through to the half-time break.
But then came the stunner in the second half. Asamoah Gyan thundered in an equaliser in the 57th minute, which must have broken quite a few of the Portuguese fans' collective hearts. None more so than the keeper, who was replaced by another keeper, because he had become quite disconsolate for allowing the equaliser. Portugal attacked and attacked, but still they couldn't bring more goals to the table. A very late Cristiano Ronaldo goal in the 80th minute, his 50th goal for Portugal in international matches, awarded Portugal the win, but it just wasn't enough for them to go through.
Portugal won the battle, but lost the war. Both teams bow out of WC 2014.