Last second goal gives Portugal a draw, deprives USMNT of a win. (@AnthonyDiMoro/Twitter)

For 93 minutes, the battle was won. For 93 minutes the beast was tamed. For 93 minutes we thought we were through. But football is cruel, and today the United States learned the hard way that all draws are not created equal. 

Thrilling, dramatic, exciting, exhausting. A game that resembled the ups and downs of a roller coaster certainly lived up to its hype. 

Despite crucial early mistakes and countless missed chances, the USMNT were en route to yet another “American” win. With a sudden knack for drama, the Yanks have made the comeback their specialty, their calling card, if you will. For the most part of Sunday’s game, it was no different.

After falling behind in the fifth minute thanks to an early mistake from center-back Geoff Cameron, Portugal seemed to have luck on their side. An errant attempt to clear the ball by Cameron went backwards and landed at the feet of Portugal winger Nani, who counted his blessings and quickly fired the ball past Tim Howard leaving the United States in a shocking and detrimental early deficit. 

Falling behind for only the first time in this World Cup, the United States was not fazed. If anything, they rallied around being down and practically dominated the rest of the first half. The Ghana game forced the team into survival mode, but on Sunday, the game displayed a team in attack mode. Chance after chance, shot after shot, the Americans had plenty to work with, but failed to produce any worthwhile results. 

Only one goal was needed at the time, and in the end, only one of those chances completed would have made all the difference.

The second half closely resembled the first, and an unrelenting American attack alongside a successful containment of Ronaldo pointed all towards an equalizer sooner, rather than later. After a couple more missed chances--Bradley’s dead-on miss being the most traumatic--the tie came in the form of an unlikely hero. 

After a failed corner kick, defenseman Jermaine Jones gathered a ball outside the box, and with no hesitation or limitation, curled an absolute beauty into the net.

Jermaine Jones' equalizer (@FlyByKnite/Twitter)

Goalkeeper: frozen. Game: tied. 

Inevitable as it seemed, the goal not only gave the United States the much-needed tie, it gave them the realization that a victory was closely within their grasp. Completing the comeback was the end goal, and who better to do it than the captain himself.

Dempsey, playing up top as the lone forward in place of Altidore, seemed to create a goal-scoring opportunity every time he touched the ball. In the 81st minute it all paid off as he willed a ball with the side of his body into the net, giving the USMNT the lead. 

They had done it again. Another American win in the most American way possible seemed on its way, and a ticket to the next round was staring at them right in the eyes. After all the talk of the Group of Death, the Americans were going to be the unlikely first qualifiers. They had squeaked out a win against Ghana, and now they would valiantly get a win against Ronaldo and the Portuguese.

But as they say in sports, "it isn’t over until it’s over," and a last second turnover allowed Ronaldo to be the Ronaldo we all know and fear. Seconds away from the finish line, the Americans tripped, fell and faltered, as Ronaldo placed a perfect cross into the box and Varela headed the latest goal in World Cup history past a helpless Tim Howard. That was Ronaldo's only cross of the entire match. 

Heartbreak and disappointment was the mood, and the "what ifs" were aplenty. The feeling was unanimous: The United States should have won this game, but stoppage time was their nemesis far more than a Portuguese team who didn’t show the desperation their circumstances reflected.  

But looking back now changes nothing, nor does it help anyone for that matter. Forward is the only way to go. 

Football is cruel in that it can rip your heart out at the last possible second, and today that’s exactly what happened. But football is also great because it gives you hope, and for the United States, that hope is alive and well. Needing only a tie to advance, Germany presents a daunting task, but with destiny in their own hands, one thing we have learned from this team is that they are more than simply up for the challenge.

They welcome it.

Bring on Thursday and bring on the Germans; the Group of Death is still ours to lose. 

You can reach Staff Writer Paolo Uggetti here, or follow him on Twitter here.