The United States were 25 seconds away from advancing to the knockout rounds with an improbable win over Portugal on Sunday. Then Cristiano Ronaldo happened.
The US battled back to take a 2-1 lead over Portugal after falling behind 1-0 early. All Michael Bradley had to do was possess the ball at midfield to burn off the time remaining in the five stoppage minutes, but he gave the ball up and allowed Portugal to counter. Here’s what Bradley was dealing with:
After Bradley gave it up, Ronaldo was able to make a perfect cross that was headed in by Varela. The US still have plenty of scenarios where they can advance (you can see them all here), but the way the game ended was as heartbreaking as it gets.
GIF via SB Nation
Photo: Twitter/Erik Elken
