U.S. defeats Algeria, 1-0
Landon Donovan's goal in extra time lifted the U.S. to a dramatic 1-0 win over Algeria on Wednesday, sending the U.S. on to the second round of the World Cup for just the third time in history.The options were clear for the U.S. entering the game: Win and go on, or lose and go home. And that's not a scenario the U.S. has had success with, never having won a third game in a World Cup, going 0-7 while being outscored 20-6.
For more than 90 minutes Wednesday, it appeared as though that wasn't going to change. But in the first minute of extra time, after a clutch save by U.S. goalie Tim Howard, Donovan pushed the ball up the right wing on a counterattack. He fed Jozy Altidore deep in the Algerian side, but Altidore's cross to Clint Dempsey hit Dempsey's foot at about the same time Algerian goalkeeper Rais M. Bolhi did.
With Bolhi on the ground, Donovan, trailing the play smartly, was able to swoop in and knock the loose ball into the back of the net for the win.
Playing before a crowd of 35,827 that included former President Clinton, who was sitting with FIFA chief Sepp Blatter, the two sides battled through as hard-fought and even a match as any in this World Cup.
For most of Wednesday, it appeared as if the U.S.' luck in group play wasn't about to change, with the Americans losing one goal on an offside call, another to an inexplicably bad shot by its top striker and a third, early in the second half, when Dempsey hit the post with one shot, then knocked the rebound past an open net.
Yet that final play offered a glimmer of hope because it started with a stroke of good fortune, with an Algerian defender falling as he tried to intercept Altidore's cross to Dempsey in the penalty area.
That gave Dempsey time to gather his shot, but he nailed the goalpost anyway. He got lucky again when the rebound bounced right back to him, but he missed everything with his second shot.
In the 68th minute, the U.S. was back again – and again Bolhi, who was brilliant all afternoon, wouldn't budge. A nice cross found Edson Buddle and Altidore sandwiching an Algerian defender in front of the goal with Buddle redirecting the pass toward the middle of the net.
The shot appeared to surprise Bolhi, but he recovered quickly, knocking the ball down and falling on it, leaving both American forwards kicking at air.
Algeria also needed a win to advance, and in a raucous, fast-paced -- and ultimately scoreless -- first half both teams played as if they wanted to extend their stay in South Africa..
After starting slowly and falling behind early in its first two games, the U.S. came out hard from the opening kickoff against Algeria, with Donovan sending a nice cross into the keeper's box at the end of the first minute. But Bolhi came out to get the ball before it got to any of the American strikers.
Minutes later, Herculez Gomez, making his first World Cup start, had the next good opportunity for the U.S., but Bolhi batted down his shot from beyond the penalty area.
In between, Algeria nearly stole a score when Rafik Djebbour outraced the U.S. defense to settle a long ball with only goalkeeper Tim Howard in front of him. His hard shot clanged off the goal, ending what proved to be the Desert Foxes' best scoring chance of the opening period.
The U.S. players, meanwhile, kept the pressure on and were nearly rewarded in the 19th minute when they attacked the outmanned Algeria defense in waves. Gomez got off two shots, the second of which rebounded to an unmarked Dempsey at the far post; he then knocked the ball into the empty net.
But the play was ruled offside, the U.S. once again appearing to lose a goal to an official's decision. In the official's defense, however, no one on the American side appeared to protest the call for long.
Dempsey was stopped again by a sliding defender after taking a feed from Donovan deep in the penalty area in the 35th minute. A minute after that, Altidore, standing just a few yards from a wide-open net, put a shot over the goal and into the seats.
The Americans' final first-half opportunity came in the 42nd minute on their 12th shot and again it came from Dempsey, who nearly got one by Bolhi when he slipped taking a shot from about 20 yards out. That sent the unstable Jabulani ball knuckling toward the goal and the Algeria keeper was lucky to smother it on a short hop and keep it out of the net.
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That was an exciting game! I can’t believe the USA won! It looked for sure they would get another draw.