Full-time - 90'
Slovenia
2 - 2
United States
Group C, 14:00 GMT, June 18, 2010

Ellis Park, Johannesburg, South Africa

Slovenia went two up against USA after Valter Birsa and Zlatan Ljubijankic goals, but Landon Donovan got one back before Michael Bradley rescued a point. Maurice Edu looked to have scored a winner for the Americans but it was controversially disallowed.


MATCH SUMMARY

Man of the Match: - Michael Bradley. He may not have had the same impact in the first half, but the son of coach Bob was a key part of the USA's turnaround. It was fitting that he was the one to apply the finishing touch to grab the equaliser.

Slovenia verdict: A wonderful opening half with attacking football, neat moves and two goals. The pace of the game eventually caught up with the minnows, though, and when USA hit one back, they sat back and invited pressure. Luckily for them, the referee ruled Maurice Edu's goal out, for reasons best known to himself.

USA verdict: Awful in the first half, but whatever Bob Bradley said at half-time seemed to work and their attacking ambition was in full view. Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore and Landon Donovan as a front three can rattle anybody on their day, but questions will be asked where they were in the first 45 minutes.

Could do better: Samir Handanovic - As a goalkeeper you are expected to get everything behind the ball, whatever it takes to stop a shot. Therefore, when Landon Donovan was closing down on goal from a tight angle, Handanovic should have stood tall and taken the shot like a man. He didn't and Donovan blasted it past his ducking head to get the USA back on track.

Stat attack: It was the 13th time USA have conceded two or more goals in a World Cup game, losing 11 of the previous 12 games. Now they have a draw to add to the list.

It leaves all to play for in Group C going into the final round of matches. There was a very early stoppage when Clint Dempsey caught Ljubijankic with an elbow to the head as the pair challenged for a high ball near the halfway line. The Gent striker was fine to continue and Malian referee Koman Coulibaly opted to take no action against Dempsey.

Birsa created the first chance with a whipped cross from the right which Milivoje Novakovic failed to connect with on the volley, but the classy Slovenia number 10 took charge himself after 12 minutes. He was allowed to turn and take stock before curling a shot past the helpless Tim Howard from 25 yards, with no American defender going to close him down.

Francisco Torres tested Handanovic with a left-foot free-kick from a wide angle, with the Udinese goalkeeper probably expecting a ball into the box rather than a cross.

It lifted the US, who had Robbie Findley booked for a handball in the Slovenia box which ruled him out of the final group match against Algeria, and Slovenia full-back Miso Brecko had to get a vital touch to deny Donovan a far-post tap-in after a flowing move involving Altidore, Findley and Dempsey.

But in a flash Bob Bradley's men were 2-0 down as Novakovic slotted a pass through to strike partner Ljubijankic, who beat the offside trap and calmly rolled a right-foot shot under Howard. The US coach responded by bringing on Rangers midfielder Edu for Torres and Benny Feilhaber for Findley at the start of the second half.

Within three minutes of the restart the Americans had halved the deficit when right-back Steve Cherundolo's ball down the flank evaded Bostjan Cesar and Los Angeles Galaxy star Donovan raced into the box at an angle before drilling the ball hard and high past Handanovic at his near post.

Marko Suler then injured himself as he climbed over Altidore and from the resultant free-kick Dempsey's glancing header from Donovan's inswinging ball was just wide.

Howard then had to claw away a Birsa free-kick as Suler threatened to head it home and Suler was then involved at the other end to tackle Altidore after the former Hull loanee looked set to get clear of him just before the hour mark.

The game was now evenly poised and after Suler manhandled Altidore once too often for the referee's liking and was booked, the burly striker fired a shot straight at Handanovic. Andraz Kirm joined Suler in the book for going in late on Cherundolo and so too did Bojan Jokic for a clumsy foul on Donovan.

Bradley's final change was to bring on forward Herculez Gomez for defender Oguchi Onyewu as the US pressed for the leveller - and it was the coach's son who got it. Altidore climbed high to nod down a long ball into the box and Bradley junior sprinted into the box to fire past Handanovic and send the majority of the Ellis Park crowd into hysterics with eight minutes to go.

They thought they had a winner when Edu turned in Donovan's free-kick but the referee disallowed it, apparently seeing a tug in the box although both sides appeared equally guilty of that. Slovenia pushed forward for the glory goal and Aleksandar Radosavljevic forced an excellent parry from Howard from 25 yards as time ticked away.