Key events
90+7 min Double substitution for the USA Alyssa Thompson and Kelley O’Hara replace Alex Morgan and Crystal Dunn.
90+6 min Rapinoe completely mishits a volley from the edge of the area. The USA – and I can’t quite believe I’m typing this – are hanging on against Portugal.
90+5 min: Another half-chance for Portugal! Marchao drives a free-kick into the USA area from the halfway line. Naeher charges off her line, gets nowhere near the ball and is extremely relieved to see it bounce through everyone and wide of the far post. That was awful goalkeeping.
90+2 min What a moment! Ana Capeta, who has just come onto the field, almost caused an earthquake with her first two touches. A long ball was flicked on towards Capeta, who read it quicker than the USA defenders and knocked the ball into space. She ran onto the bat and hit a fierce low drive from the edge of the area that beat Naeher and thumped off the post.
90+1 min: Capeta has hit the post! I do not believe it.
90+1 min Rapinoe puts Morgan through in the inside-left channel, but the angle is tight and she sprays wide of the near post under pressure.
90 min There will be e-i-g-h-t minutes of added time.
90 min: Double substitution for Portugal Ana Capeta and Joana Marchao replace Catarina Amado and Diana Silva.
87 min Lavelle drops a corner under the bar, where Pereira is flattened by Sonnett. She might have been booked for that.
A Portuguese player was booked just before the corner; I think it was Amado.
While Pereira receives treatment, the USA have another team meeting on the touchline.
86 min “Possibly the most impressive thing that Portugal has done so far today, and it’s a long list, is riding out the storm of American attacks without panicking,” writes Kári Tulinius. “They just kept playing, regained control of the midfield, and now we’re back as we were.”
In the first half, certainly, I thought they worked the ball really neatly through midfield. The second half has been pretty one-sided.
85 min The Netherlands are now 7-0 up.
84 min Morgan cuts inside from the left and drives a low shot that is held to her right by Pereira. A decent save, though I think Morgan was offside in the build up.
84 min: Double substitution for the USA Trinity Rodman and Emily Sonnett replace Lynn Williams and Lindsey Horan.
83 min “The only person who knows what buttons to push for this team seems to be Daniëlle van de Donk,” says Robyn Schelenz. “And she’s indisposed at the moment.”
That game is still 6-0 (I think), so even if the US score here they will finish second in Group E.
82 min A heartstopping moment for the US. The free-kick reaches Costa beyond the far post on the left. She smashes a cross that is fumbled by Naeher, but there are no Portugal players around to put away the loose ball.
81 min: Portugal substitution Telma Encarnacao, who scored against Vietnam, replaces Andreia Norton.
81 min Girma is booked for a cynical foul on Jessica Silva 35 yards from goal.
80 min According to the English commentary I’m listening to, Kika Nazareth went off because of a hamstring injury.
79 min “Props to Aly Wagner in booth: told truth about Megpoe’s touches v Vietnam and lack of defensive prowess for current dilemma,” says Mike Chiropolos. “Speaks volumes coming from a former teammate. Think another former teammate weighed in with essentially the same sentiment from outside the booth.”
78 min Jessica Silva shoves Sullivan over the touchline, a gratuitous foul for which she might have been booked. I’m not sure the referee even gave a free-kick.
77 min The USA are still miles short of their best, but they have had more control of this game in the second half. And ultimately, for all Portugal’s heroism, Alyssa Naeher hasn’t had a save to make.
74 min It’s still 0-0…
73 min “Is it just me or is there a real size disparity between the two teams?” writes Ursolin Waxoh. “The Americans seem much taller than their opponents. Whenever I see Lindsey Horan, she looks twice as big as any Portuguese midfielder.
“It’s somewhat significant (I predict it will make a difference later in set pieces) but not much: one of the most wonderful things about football is that, unlike other sports, genius comes in all shapes and sizes. Still, if Portugal do manage an upset, it will be a giant-slaying in more than one sense.”
72 min Diana Gomes gets a yellow card for a foul on Morgan, whose movement in the second half has been much sharper. Gomes will miss the next match if Portugal do get through.
71 min Portugal are looking tired now. They have played heroically, but with Nazareth off the field they are struggling to create openings never mind chances.
69 min “Whenever I see this team play I remember a few things,” writes Sérgio. “There are only 10,000 registered players in the Portugal, in all age groups. No more than four fully pro teams in the league. Not a single player plays for a top club in the big five leagues. Our manager is the same from 10 years ago, when 99.9% of Portuguese people weren’t aware this team existed.
“Most of these players started when practice was at 10pm and women’s football wasn’t even an afterthought, and even players didn’t watch women’s games. They play for them, and above all for all the generations that have come and gone dreaming of this day. Only by channelling their collective love of football can they put up this incredible performance against a country with pretty much infinite resources and history.”
They’re already had an outstanding World Cup debut. Imagine if they win this game!
68 min Diana Silva is okay to continue.
67 min Diana Silva has been down for a couple of minutes. She ran into Williams’s elbow while defending that Rapinoe corner, although I’d like to see a replay to be sure there was no funny business. Either way, she’s still down.
66 min “Are you sure,” writes Peter Oh, “the alarm bells weren’t coming from the USWNT ivory tower?”
65 min Here’s more on the alarm at the start of the second half.
64 min Rapinoe and Morgan combine to win a corner for the USA, who are well on top now. Rapinoe’s driven corner is flicked on and wide of the near post by Ertz.
62 min: Portugal substitution Andreia Jacinton replaces Kika Nazareth. That must be due to injury because Nazareth, though quieter in the second half, has been Portugal’s most dangerous attacker.
61 min: USA substitution Sophia Smith is replaced by Megan Rapinoe, who barks encouragement in every direction as she runs onto the field.
60 min Lavelle dinks a golf shot of a free-kick towards Williams, who heads wide from a tightish angle.
60 min Lavelle, whose dribbling is suddenly causing Portugal all sorts of problems, seems to be tripped on the edge of the area. The referee waves play on but moments later the USA get a free-kick 35 yards from goal.
59 min It’s now Vietnam 0-6 Netherlands in the other Group E game.
58 min For the first time in the game, it feels like a USA goal is in the post. Lavelle wins the ball just inside the Portugal half, beats two players through sleight of hip but then overhits a simple pass to Smith. That was a chance.
57 min Lavelle floats the resulting free-kick towards Morgan, who heads over from six yards. She was jumping backwards and couldn’t get over the ball.
56 min Carole Costa is booked for pulling back Morgan on the right edge of the area.
53 min: Gomes clears off the line! That’s much better from the USA. Horan collects a loose pass on the halfway line, surges forward and angles a through pass to Morgan in the area. She moves smoothly around the outrushing Pereira, and screws a lot shot towards goal from a very tight angle. Diana Gomes, perfectly positioned, boots it behind for a corner. Replays show that Morgan’s shot would probably have hit the outside of the post anyway.
52 min Smith is booked for hoofing Diana Silva in the face. That makes it sound worse than it was; she was going for the ball, albeit a little clumsily, and caught Silva in the process. A yellow card was fair enough.
52 min “Am I missing Vlakto’s secret genius?” asks Robyn Schelenz. “Because when an extremely talented group doesn’t cohere that’s usually blamed on one person, in any sport.”
I’m always loath to judge at this stage, because teams can suddenly click during a World Cup. That’s happened a few times in the men’s game. But at the moment they look pedestrian at besat.
50 min A slow start to the second half, with a couple of niggly fouls on both sides. There’s an alarm going off in the stadium complex, though nobody seems too oh lord where’s my thesaurus this is going to be bad alarmed.
48 min Lavelle tries a shot on the turn from 20 yards. Over the bar.
47 min “If the USWNT loses to Portugal,” says Kurt Perleberg, “what happens to USWNT manager Vlatko Andonovski & USWNT general manager Kate Markgraf?”
That’s not really for me to say, but in the UK it’s known as a P45.
46 min Peep peep! Portugal get the second half under way.
“Astonishing match,” writes João André. “This is the female equivalent of Bolivia going to their first WC in 1994 and playing on equal footing against an (admittedly weaker) Germany.
“This is a curious situation. The Portuguese players do not have the same physical levels as the Americans, but as the latter have hardly been substituted, who knows who will come out top physically at the end of the match. The Portuguese are obviously expecting to freshen things up in the second half with fresh legs.
“Love Nazareth, but I do believe you are missing the wonderful stitching job Andreia Norton (#8) is doing in midfield against the (somewhat tame) American press. Can’t wait for the second half.”
You’re probably right – it’s a peculiarity of these liveblogs that you don’t see all of the football, because you spend half the time either typing or reading/editing emails. That means the subtler players like Norton often go unnoticed, whereas highlights players (for want of a better phrase) like Nazareth get more attention.
Half time: Portugal 0-0 USA
Another uncomfortable half of football for the USA. Lynn Williams had a couple of good chances, but that aside they really struggled in attack. Portugal dominated possession, with Kika Nazareth outstanding, and missed an early chance of their own through Jessica Silva.
With the Netherlands beating Vietnam 5-0, the USA’s chances of winning Group E are almost non-existent. Of far greater importance is that they finish second and qualify for the last 16. As things stand, they are through, but a Portugal goal would change all that.
45+2 min: Chance for Williams! Lynn Williams almost scores on the stroke of half-time. Girma dumped a routine ball in the Portugal box, where Williams came on the blindside of Borges to control the ball on the thigh. It bounced up slightly awkwardly and she hooked a shot straight at Pereira.
45 min Two minutes of added time.
43 min Physician…
42 min Portugal are dominating possession, as they have for most of the first half. The longer this stays at 0-0, the more the USA will think the unthinkable.
40 min Nazareth, the best player on the pitch in the first half, cuts across a drive from 25 yards that swirls just over the bar. Naeher had it covered but it was a lovely effort.
39 min Lavelle is booked for a lunge at Dolores Silva. That’s bad news for the USA: Lavelle will be suspended for their last-16 game. If there is one.
38 min That spell of US pressure has passed. They really are struggling here.
35 min Nazareth plays another dangerous through ball towards Jessica Silva. This time Girma reads it well and sweeps up. Nazareth is a lovely footballer.
