USA squeeze into World Cup knockout stage after surviving late Portugal scare

Portugal’s Ana Capeta (left) hit the post in injury time as the USA progressed to the last 16 with a whimper. Photograph: How Hwee Young/EPA

As Americans half a world away slept through the night unaware or rose prematurely from their slumber to watch a World Cup match with a 3am ET kick-off, the United States sleepwalked through their final group game against Portugal to do the bare minimum to advance to the knockout rounds of the 2023 World Cup. The USA, needing a point to secure advancement, survived a stoppage-time scare that would have made them the first defending World Cup champions to be eliminated in the group stage.

“I don’t think it was in sync,” the USA head coach, Vlatko Andonovski, said. “I don’t think that was a good performance all together.”