USA lose to Germany but still go through

USA qualified for the last 16 of the World Cup despite losing their last group game against Germany by 1-0 on Friday morning (June 27).

They finished second in Group G as Portugal's 2-1 win was not enough to overcome their goal difference.

The solitary goal in the USA v Germany game was scored by Thomas Muller in the 55th minute, making it his fourth goal of the tournament. 

USA goalkeeper Tim Howard's initial save from a Per Mertesacker header fell to the lurking Muller at the edge of the penalty box and he made no mistake with his first time shot which flew past the goalkeeper.

Germany dominated the rain-sodden match and they would have been up by several more goals if not for the brilliance of Tim Howard in between the goalposts.

Before Muller's goal, Howard had twice denied the Germans taking the lead just before the end of the first half, first diving low to stop a Mesut Ozil snap shot and then stopping Lukas Podolski’s drive across the face of goal aimed at Mueller.

As the referee blew the final whistle, USA fans celebrated knowing that they were able to qualify from a strong group that featured Ghana and Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal.

They will face the winner of Group H, Belgium, in the last 16 on July 7.

Source: AFP


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