Landon Donovan scored a dramatic stoppage time winner against Algeria here on Wednesday to send USA through to the second round as Group C winners in World Cup action here on Wednesday.
The US pipped England to the top spot on the number of goals scored after both teams finished with five points apiece. Former US president Bill Clinton was at the VIP box to witness his country’s fortunes.
When it appeared that the US would pay the price for missing a glut of chances, Donovan buried a rebound to send his team’s supporters wild at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium. It would have been a travesty of justice had America not made the cut for the last 16 after such a vibrant show.
Algeria have become the latest casualty from Africa. The Desert Foxes will be going home without scoring a goal. No tears would be shed for them, though.
Algeria were dire against the US. They didn’t deserve to escape with a draw against a team that showed greater urgency throughout.
In football, teams missing as many chances as the US did are usually left ruing them in the end. But the script was, much to the delight of scores of US supporters here, different on Wednesday.