David Moyes took over at Everton in 2002, and after spending a few years flirting with relegation, the Scot has propelled the Toffees to the rather more enjoyable end of the Premier League table, and stabilised them as a top six club.
But what makes Moyes’ feat so impressive is that it has all been done on a shoestring – with finance, resources and youth talent being incredibly limited at Goodison Park. But having knocked on the door of the Champions League for the last five years or so, with no success, it appears the Scottish boss has taken the Toffees as far as they can go, with many of his astute signings now reaching their peak years.
The Everton boss is expected to depart in the summer for pastures new, as he still refuses to discuss a contract extension until the end of the season.
But who will fill the huge void left behind at Goodison Park should Moyes depart in the summer? We’ve created a top five list of candidates for your own consideration.
Click on Neil Lennon to reveal the Top Five replacements for David Moyes at Everton
Football’s resident bad boy Joey Barton, on a season-long loan at Marseille, has pinpointed former boss Mark Hughes for the state that QPR are in.
The comments came after their 3-2 defeat at Craven Cottage on Easter Monday, a defeat that leaves the Hoops teetering on the edge of relegation. The result means that Redknapp’s side are seven points from safety with just seven matches left to play this season.
Barton, 30, tweeted: “Realistically that’s it. Too much to do for QPR.
“Feel it’s unfair to blame board, they’ve backed the managers. Can’t look any further than what Hughes and his cronies did in the summer.
“Redknapp was given a very difficult task. Can’t blame him for spending.”
Redknapp, who took over from Hughes in November, invested heavily in his squad in January having signed former Blackburn defender Christopher Samba from Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala.
The Congolese born defender was signed for a massive £12.5 million during the window, with Samba said to be on a whopping £100,000 a week plus bonus add-ons.
It’s a signing that has come under scrutiny from QPR fans, especially after his poor show against Fulham last Monday.
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The defender had a shocking game and essentially handed Fulham the win, much to Harry Redknapp’s disappointment.
Antolin Alcaraz could miss the rest of the season after Wigan boss Roberto Martinez revealed he has suffered a hamstring injury.
The defender picked up the injury during last Saturday’s defeat at West Ham and is now expected to miss crucial games as Latics battle to beat the drop, while the FA Cup Final will also be touch and go.
Alcaraz has been a key figure at the back for Wigan since returning from a serious groin injury and boss Roberto Martinez blamed the defeat at Upton Park on the absence of the player.
Martinez says they will give the player the best possible chance of returning before the end of the season but the Spaniard does not sound that optimistic.
“We’ll treat him and see how quickly he responds to treatment,” Martinez revealed. “But obviously soft-tissue injuries of that type would usually take the best part of three weeks to heal.
“Antolin knows his body really well and we are fortunate he managed to get off the field before he did himself some serious damage. Hopefully we can use this time to work on other aspects of his fitness to make sure he can return before the end of the season.”
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I find Arsenal’s defensive frailties this season a rather perplexing issue. While poor individual performances from Bacary Sagna and Thomas Vermaelen have been aplenty, and furthermore, the Gunners have undergone a whole season with Mikel Arteta, traditionally an attacking wideman, in defensive midfield, the Premier League’s final standings show that the North Londoners are privy to the second best defensive record in the English top flight, with their Goals Against total of 37 only beaten by Manchester City, who finish the season having conceded on just 34 occasions.
The impressive feat is in no small part due to Arsenal’s strong form throughout the business end of the season, having not lost since the second North London derby in early March, despite at the time many declaring that their campaign was now over, and in the process recording eight victories in their last ten domestic fixtures, along with five clean sheets – six if you include their 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
[cat_link cat=”Arsenal” type=”tower”]
But underpinning their success over the past few months has been two key individuals at the heart of Arsenal’s defence – Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker. The pair have been exceptional, striking up an understanding which appears to get the best out of both of them, tailored to their specific skills set. The Frenchman has been speedy, resilient and intelligent, recording the fifth highest ratio for ground duels won in the Premier League according to OPTA, while his German accomplice has used his height and reading of the game to be the ninth most effective centre-back in the division in the air – the most consistent out of all of the top four clubs.
The formidable partnership appears to have come at a price for the Gunners however, with club captain Thomas Vermaelen forced into taking a back seat whilst his team-mates provide some much needed consistency and simplicity to Arsenal’s formerly shaky backline. The Belgian international has made just a single 90 minute appearance since coming unstuck in Arsenal’s last defeat to Tottenham, in which he was charged by the Sky Sports punditry team as being at fault for both of Spurs’ goals. He was dropped, along with Wojceich Szczesny, for the European clash with Bayern Munich, and has ever since taken up a regular spot on Arsene Wenger’s subs bench.
It begs the question as to whether there is any need for the 27 year old at the Emirates anymore. With two years left on his current contract, this summer represents as good an opportunity as any to sell, and despite Vermaelen’s lacklustre form, there are reportedly a host of European clubs, including Barcelona, showing a fleeting interest.
Whilst in the past many praised the Arsenal defender’s capability on the ball, citing his consistent passing, contribution of goals and ability to surge forward out of the back to launch attacks, I have been critical of Vermaelen for some time. In my opinion, his overall game has been incredibly overrated by the fact he is the kind of player to put in an all-action performance, often full of tackles, challenges in the air and bursting runs out of defence, but the fact is, a footballer who plays on the edge in the manner of the Belgian, can never be in the right place at the right time for a full 90 minutes, which after all is what centre-backs are on the pitch to do.
I have no doubt in Vermaelen’s abilities as an athlete – he possesses a great leap, good pace and considerable strength – but when it comes down to reading the game, defensive nous and concentration, the core characteristics required by even the lowest quality of non-league central defenders, I find him incredibly lacking. Per Mertesacker’s consistency, despite turning and moving at battle cruiser speed has really shown his team mate up this season, using the traditional methods of positioning, strength and height in sharp contrast to the more aesthetic style of the Belgian. Similarly, Vermaelen’s superficial nature is further shown by the fact that criticism and scrutiny surround his performances has increased dramatically from seasons previous, coinciding with the defender’s supply of goals drying up this year.
Furthermore, the Arsenal skipper has done anything but lead by example since being appointed captain in the wake of Robin Van Persie’s departure at the start of the season. His miss from the spot during a now infamous penalty shoot-out against Bradford in the Capital One Cup was not only a moment of failure for Vermaelen considering his integral role in the first team donning the arm band, but furthermore appears to be a moment in his career which he is yet to successfully recover from, with the Gunners leaking 21 goals in their next 11 fixtures until Arsene Wenger made the call to drop the 27 year old, followed by Arsenal conceding just six times in their final nine games in his absence.
It perhaps suggests that the Arsenal boss should take away his lacklustre star’s extra responsibilities as captain ahead of next season rather than feel compelled to move him on, as it appears to have overlapped with his woeful form and the two factors could well be connected. It does not necessarily mean that he is a poor quality player, but rather he does not handle the pressure of the armband well, and in the past Vermaelen has on occasion put in exceptional performances. Furthermore, it would be wrong to judge a footballer on a single season from a whole career – then again, there is an old adage that you are only as good as your last game.
On the other hand, Arsene Wenger has never been one to resist making a profit out of a player, and having bought Vermaelen four years ago at a relatively cheap price of £10million, you’d feel that his time at the Emirates has certainly added value to his market worth, considering he is now tried and tested in one of Europe’s most competitive top flights rather than being an Ajax youngster known for his potential.
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Yet, with the coming transfer window set to be an incredibly busy one at the Emirates, with the likes of Bacary Sagna, Nicklas Bendtner, Denilson, Andrei Arshavin, Sebastien Squillaci, Johan Djourou, Andre Santos, Marouane Chamakh, Emmanuel Frimpong, Gervinho and Lukas Fabianski expected to be departing for pastures new, it would make sense to keep Vermaelen in North London to maintain a level of consistency if nothing else, and furthermore, he is more than capable in terms of ability of being a third choice centre-back, should he be happy with such a limited role. Similarly, with Arsene Wenger reportedly spending big in the summer as a means to improve the first team, adding further replacements to the mix will only complicate matters and take away from the summer budget.
Having said that, if the papertalk surrounding interest from Barcelona proves to be true, my gut feeling is that the Arsenal boss would be willing to sell his defender should the price be right. Considering Vermaelen has overall failed during a season where his club has need him most, in terms of leadership and performances amid Arsenal’s current malaise, it may well be for the best for the player and the club to politely part company on good terms, rather than the 27 year old becoming yet another expensive piece of deadwood at the Emirates.
Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio has blasted his players for lacking desire for the club after another defeat on Saturday, as reported by Sky Sports.
The energetic Italian saw his side slump to another loss yesterday as West Brom scored three to keep the Black Cats bottom of the Premier League.
Di Canio approached the travelling Sunderland fans after the game to apologise and urge them to keep their heads up but the fans were less than appreciative after another lacklustre performance.
The former West Ham and Celtic star is under real pressure to keep his job and the North East club have a history of losing patience quickly with managers.
However, Di Canio has claimed that the lack of leaders in the dressing room is to blame for their poor start.
“It’s obvious that we’re still not gelled together.
“We don’t have many leaders in terms of desire. There’s no desire to play with a premier style because it’s difficult.
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Godwin’s Law states that the longer a discussion goes on, the higher the chances become of a comparison involving Adolf Hitler. The purpose of this inevitable Reductio ad Hitlerum is, of course, to win the argument.
If your chosen stance is exactly the kind of attitude/wallpaper/ice cream Hitler would’ve gone for, then you’re patently only a couple of steps away from book burning and death camps, thus your opinion on felt hats of the sixteenth century are completely invalid. Nazis lose arguments.
Sir Alex Ferguson is, despite the paranoid night terrors of Roy Keane, not Adolf Hitler. But he does occupy a similar status in discussions on football management. The longer a conversation on managerial stability goes on, so the chances of a comparison involving Ferguson become inevitable. He is the trump card in any deck of examples. The cauterizing agent in any wounded argument.
The difference (apart from all the actual Nazi stuff obviously. Fergie was dead against the Lebensraum by all accounts) is that while Godwin’s Law is seen as a weak, last ditch tactic – a verbose equivalent of shouting “You smell!” and running away – Fergie’s Law is seen as a strong, front footed one. It’s trotted out by respectable people, and Tony Cascarino. It’s often supported by the equally trusted ‘Wenger’s Accompaniment’, and if the argument is really getting stretched, perhaps even a ‘Moyes’s Mooting’
The accepted wisdom of pundits, panelists and publicans alike is that sackings like AVB’s are bad, or at least bad form. Only long-term managerial stability breeds real success. If only the power hungry, finger pyramiding villains of club Chairmanship could see it.
But is this true?
Ever since Roman Abramovich swanned onto the scene with his shiny new Chelsea Toy (manager sold separately) it’s been widely assumed that his constant petulant tinkering has been counter productive. It’s only setting them back. It’s his own time he’s wasting.
But while a case can certainly be made for the first Mourinho era, the lasting effect of a sushi conveyor belt of bosses has hardly been negligent. In fact since Claudio Ranieri was dismissed in 2004, becoming ground zero for Chelsea managerial dominos, they’ve won more than Ferguson’s longevity infused Manchester United. Less League titles (3>5) but more FA Cups and European honors.
But moneyed sides like Chelsea and City are often written off in such discussions. They don’t conform to the norm. A fallacy that fails to take into account that if the money was all-important, Abramovich would’ve clearly appointed himself by now. He’d at least be the first Chelsea boss with job security.
So how have the less evil sides done without longevity? Liverpool sacked both Kenny Dalglish and Peaky the Night Owl after underwhelming short spells. A period kick started after long-term faith in Rafa Benitez had seen both their form, and him, start to unravel. They’re now doing quite well under a manager appointed 18 months ago. So to are Newcastle United since sacking Chris Hughton (a very unpopular decision back in 2010.) In fact his replacement, booed on his arrival, is now the league’s second longest serving manager. How about Swansea City? Soaring like knickers thrown at Tom Jones from League 2 obscurity to Premier League mid-table security in only six years. Surely that’s the product of good old managerial stability? Well, no. They changed their manager five times in those six years.
So what is it these clubs are missing? What wondrous, better kind of success could they enjoy if only they had faith in their managers? It’s hard to say, because Ferguson aside, even the likes of Wenger, Moyes & the mythical Dario Gradi haven’t found successful longevity a longevity of success.
You may think it a few trophies short of a cabinet to question the success of Wenger’s tenure. This, after all, is the man who took a boring, defensive side of loveable drunks and turned them into the most entertaining attacking team in the league. However, since 2004 Arsenal have gone from automatic title challengers to being perpetually scrapping for 4th. Arsene has now spent longer in the silverware wilderness than he spent in its bosom and his image has shifted from the unflappable, miraculous Professeur to a frustrated, elderly Mr. Bean, perpetually resisting metamorphosis from within his giant coat chrysalis. It’s no longer sacrilege to ponder whether the Gunners would be better off without him. He’s (almost) lived long enough to see himself become the villain.
At United, the thinking is that David Moyes should be afforded the same faith that so benefited Ferguson. This is both admirable and fluffily reassuring in a time when managerial job security is about as stable as Syrian buckaroo. But it’s also partly based on the idea that a similar security at Everton yielded increased success. This would be a very relative idea of success. A harsh critic could say he merely didn’t fail. Much like Wenger, his early years saw most of the work, turning a side of perpetual strugglers into a side of respectable middlers. But while many will point to his lack of funds, keeping England’s fifth most successful side in the top half of the table is less the impossible dream and more the plausible expectation. David Moyes, making the possible possible since 2002.
Dario Gradi, the hallowed mythical figure of ancient managerial legend failed even to bring that much vaulted stability to his beloved Crewe Alexandra in over 400 seasons in charge (70-80 as caretaker, depending on which scrolls you believe) Despite his admirable courage under financial fire, they were relegated nearly as many times as they were promoted.
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Even Ol’ Big Head went down in the end. Though without him Forest slipped even further from the limelight, their star fading as if retreating into an actual forest. But then Brian Clough was an exceptional manager.
And so was Ferguson. Which makes him an uneasy standard bearer. Normality shouldn’t be judged by its exceptions. It also underestimates the magnitude of his task at United in the mid-1980s. Dragging a boozy boys club resting on their laurels kicking and screaming into the modern game, all while building a world-class youth set up from scratch. A manager coming into a well-run modern football club shouldn’t need four years to see progress. He shouldn’t really need more than two.
Such are our romantic associations with words like faith and trust and legacy, boosted tenfold by their current infrequency, that it seems sacrilege to dismiss them. And such are the negative connotations of the worst of fan opinion. The knee-jerk, pass the buck, sack the manager vitriol, boosted tenfold by the Internet and its soapbox for idiots that it feels dirty to encourage it.
But sometimes it might just be right. Not every manager is Alex Ferguson. Sometimes, you really should sack them if you’re not seeing instant progress. But then again, that’s exactly the kind of thing Hitler would say.
Although Arsenal keep marching on, playing the same aesthetically football that Arsene Wenger has been a vigilant defender of all along, there is a certain reluctance to accept that they have a genuine chance at the title. The Gunners are four points clear of Chelsea at the top, and have distanced their arguably toughest opponents, Manchester City, by a gap of six points. Their defence isn’t letting in easy goals like in previous seasons, and the Arsenal midfield have finally burst to life.
And still, we are all reluctant to recognize their title credentials.
There is certain consensus that although they are looking solid at the moment, Wenger’s squad will eventually falter. Even Wayne Rooney said in a press conference that he was not too worried about the considerable gap because everyone at Manchester United have seen Arsenal be “top two until February or March and then faded away,” suggesting that the same will happen again. How genuine is this claim though?
If we look at the points gathered in 2013 alone, the gap at the top of the table is in fact bigger for Arsenal. Last season was ruined by a drop in form before new years, and Arsene Wenger’s men secured a spot in the Champions League with a late display of form. So far it seems like Rooney’s comments are either ill advised or simply meant to be an attempt on mind games – something few of us would expect him to excel at.
If Arsenal are to take encouragement from any recent season in particular, it should, funnily enough, be that of which has defined the career of Rooney himself. When Manchester United entered the only time space in the Ferguson era that resembled a trophy draft – between 2003 and 2007 – the retired Sir Alex faced much the same accusations as Arsene Wenger has had to deal with in recent years. With a squad that was slowly maturing, and young players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Rooney growing into pillars of the team, Fergie eventually came out victorious. It sounds awfully familiar, don’t you think?
This year we have seen Aaron Ramsey in particular completely changing his game, giving possibly the best and most complete performances in the league. Now we also see Jack Wilshere realizing his importance to the rhythm of the Gunners’ game, as well as scoring goals. Meanwhile, Kieran Gibbs and Olivier Giroud are applying themselves, giving Arsenal the most strikingly apparent cohesion in the top flight.
When Fergie’s last great United team started down the path that eventually lead them to a Champions League victory, they were relying on the talents of player’s that had long been written off. At the end of last season, none of us gave Aaron Ramsey a flicker of chance to succeed at the highest level. 13 games into the season he looks like the PFA player of the year, and possibly one of Wenger’s greatest achievements in terms of nurturing.
Another component of Manchester United’s success when they won back the title in 2007 was Ferguson’s recognition of the need to exit the starting blocks like Usain Bolt driven by nitroglycerin. Fergie saw that his old strategy of starting slowly before gaining momentum in January and February was putting his team adrift when real title race started. The 5-1 thrashing of Fulham in the opening game was a resounding confirmation of the team’s intent. Although Arsenal lost their opener to Aston Villa in August, the momentum they have built since gives a clear indication of where they intend to be when the trophies are handed out in May.
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It is about time we take Arsenal seriously in their campaign. Now that we enter the busy Christmas schedule, it is their rivals that need to sharpen their form should have any chance of closing the gap. They’ll be the bookie’s favourite by some distance when they take on Hull at the Emirates tonight, and to put their form into context they can potentially move 12 points clear of the reigning champions.
My biggest concern is this: are we prepared to deal with the size of Arsene Wenger’s French ego, should they win?
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry says that only Arsene Wenger knows whether or not the Gunners need to sign anyone in January.
Speaking at the launch of Puma’s latest evoPOWER football boots, the 36-year-old also backed his former manager to end the club’s trophy doubt and lead them to Premier League glory this season.
“I am not Wenger, I do not know best, the boss knows best,” Henry said.
“A lot of people give him a lot of stick because he has not won anything in a very long time.
“They’ve been expecting Arsenal to collapse recently but they haven’t. Why can’t they win the league? They’re in the position to.
“The future will tell us if they are good enough or not but right now I think they are.”
The New York Red Bulls striker also questioned FIFA’s decision to award the Ballon d’Or to Cristiano Ronaldo in favour of Bayern Munich ace and fellow countryman Franck Ribery, adding that the governing body “kills the spirit of football” when making these judgements.
“Yes I do [think Ribery deserved to win], not because he is French or anything, I just think he deserved it,” he added.
“I was disappointed for him and was disappointed for French football. For a very long time now we haven’t had a winner – we had Zizou and Michael Platini but that’s it.
“I really thought he was going to win, I mean as well as him being a great footballer, just look at what he has done!
“For me it kills the spirit of football because you have to be able to perform, but perform with a team that wins things.”
The Frenchman believes that this year’s World Cup may come too soon for a young French side, but that glory in the European Championships in France in 2016 could be a more realistic goal. However, after a very public falling out with the press, would his countrymen be able to handle the pressure inflicted on Les Bleus by the French media?
“I have travelled everywhere, I remember when I was back in France I thought it was going to be better somewhere else.
“Then I arrived in England and I always had a good relationship with the press. But on personal life some papers back in the day could be really bad – as we have seen now in the news.
“Then you go to Italy and realise it wasn’t that bad in France. Then you come and play for Barcelona and you eat in a restaurant and they put what you ate in the restaurant in the papers the next day!
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“It is not a French thing or Italian thing or Spanish thing – when you give joy to people you have to expect it.
“But don’t get me wrong, the French press will still tell you exactly what they think, like in 98 when they thought we wouldn’t even get past the first round!”
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Louis van Gaal has an enormous job on his hands going into next season after becoming the next manager of Manchester United.
The focus has very much been on the Dutchman since David Moyes’ sacking – and since we got over that now-senseless idea of giving Ryan Giggs the job – but it’s at times forgotten just how much work is needed at Old Trafford. Van Gaal can bring trophies back to the club, but the changes needed – often described as an overhaul – must force trophies to the backseat, if only temporarily.
The football world can’t seem to make its mind up: can Manchester United be in transition? Can a club of that stature ever be in a position where trophies aren’t seen for a few years and in the stead of silverware rebuilding and a long-term vision takes precedence?
United’s last title win in 2013 masked the deficiencies of an ageing squad. The addition of Robin van Persie, himself 31 later this year, covered up for the fact that this team were running out of steam. The younger players, either brought up through the academy or via the market, weren’t developing or simply weren’t good enough. There was no bridge between the old and young. No continuity.
The easy thing for United and van Gaal to do this summer is spend big on established stars on the continent and immediately re-join the race the silverware. But it should be acknowledged that the Netherlands coach has a fantastic record of getting the best out of younger players.
His title win with AZ Alkmaar was built around youth and very little investment. At Bayern, Thomas Muller and Holger Badstuber were among the youth players promoted and afforded chances. The latter has been well out of the limelight due to long-term injury, but he, like Muller, can be considered a successful graduate of the team’s academy.
The key for United is in establishing a strong base that can be successful for the next decade. Alex Ferguson did it with Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney after going through what can be considered a transitional period, landing the League Cup in 2006 and using that as a springboard to further trophy successes. Much of the same is needed this time around.
Despite his record of burning bridges and holding short tenures at each of his clubs, van Gaal is the ideal manager to build from the bottom up at United. He certainly won’t see the end result or even the real fruits of his work midway through, but he can lay the foundation.
Luke Shaw is a name that has been heavily linked with United, and that’s the right way to go, even if it means splashing out £27 million on a teenage full-back. Wayne Rooney is now tied to United for the foreseeable future, and with van Persie still good for, say, two more seasons, the club need a younger forward to work with who can pick up that scoring responsibility in the coming years. Danny Welbeck isn’t that player.
And then there’s the midfield. United’s reserves may hold a few names who can come into the first-team and fill out the squad, but the club must decide now whether Nick Powell has what it takes to dictate play from the midfield or whether serious, youthful investment is needed. Van Gaal will obviously turn to what he knows best, but players like Wesley Sneijder or Rafael van der Vaart are not the answer. The younger Kevin Strootman and Daley Blind (who can operate at both full-back and holding midfield) serve different roles. Perhaps Feyenoord’s Jordy Clasie.
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The point is United must be wary of becoming a club who work to short cycles, essentially having to start from scratch each time a new manager comes in because his predecessor only bought for himself and for the short term.
There is no strong base in the squad, no group of players who can become the spine of the team for the foreseeable future. Adnan Januzaj and David De Gea, yes; Juan Mata is still relatively young. But there are question marks over Phil Jones and Chris Smalling for varying reasons. The club need players who can learn from the remaining veterans in the team and then develop to a high enough standard whereby they can carry the torch.
Belgium leaves it late to secure a place in the last 16 of the World Cup after a 1-0 victory over Russia in what was a hard fought game.
Marc Wilmots’ side saw early pressure from the Eastern European side when Viktor Fayzulin’s strike forced a saved from Thibaut Courtois, but his team slowly found a way back into the match.
Dries Mertens was looking the likely candidate to make something happen for Wilmots with a majority of chances as he skipped pass defenders on more than one occasions. His failure to provide the killer ball or take his many chances resulted in a goalless first half. Aleksandr Kokorin should have given Fabio Capello’s men the lead with an unmarked header, which was probably the best chance of the match so far.
Both sides threw everything they had at each other, but to no avail as they battled for all three points. The breakthrough came in the 88th minute when substitute Divock Origi capitalized on a brilliant Eden Hazard run down the right flank before he received the ball just outside the six yard box and slotted home his nations winning goal.
Algeria 4-2 South Korea
Algeria and South Korea gave us another amazing encounter in this year’s World Cup. What was expected to be a tight affair turned out to be an all attacking display, resulting in a six-goal game. The African side took the lead in the 26th minute, when Slimani latched onto a long ball and hit a delicate chip over the out-rushing keeper.
Algeria then doubled two minutes later when Halliche towered above the Korean defence to put a thunderous header into the net.
Things got worse for the Asian side as they went 3-0, Djabou putting his side effort shot in the corner of the net.
But as the second half started, Korea got back into the game Heung-Min Son turned his defender and put his left foot shot between the legs of Rais M’Bohli. South Korea piled on the pressure and had an amazing pile-driver by Sunderland’s Sung-Yong Ki saved.
However Algeria grabbed hold of the game with their fourth, Brahimi cutting the defence wide open with a one two and smashing it into the bottom of the net.
Ja-Chael Koo added the game’s sixth in the 72nd minute, but it was only to be a consolation.
Portugal 2-2 USA
In an almost must win game for Portugal, they went into the best of starts when the US defence were unable to clear a rather tame cross into the box, which landed to Nani who smashed the ball into the roof of the net just five minutes into the game.
And it looked like Ronaldo’s side were going to hold onto the points, before the US turned on the style in the 64nd minute when Jermaine Jones curled one from outside the area leaving Bento stuck to his spot.
The US, buoyed by the goal, pressed the Portugal back-line and finally got their reward when captain Clint Dempsey was in the right area to turn a cross over the line with his thigh.
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Portugal were however not done yet, and with practically seconds to go in injury time, Cristiano Ronaldo sent a brilliant cross into the area for Silverstre Varela, whose powerful header was just too much for Tim Howard to handle.
The European outfit still have a slim hope of advancing in the next stage of the competition, but must hope that Germany beat the US by a large margin and they do the same with Ghana.