USA beats Ghana 2-1: US goals bookend World Cup match
USA beats Ghana 2-1: The US team scored a goal 32 seconds into their World Cup game with Ghana, and then a second goal just 4 minutes before the end of play.
Ghana's Christian Atsu (l.) looks back at his net as United States' Jermaine Jones celebrates a goal by teammate Clint Dempsey during the group G World Cup soccer match between Ghana and the United States, at the Arena das Dunas in Natal, Brazil, Monday, June 16.
Julio Cortez/AP
NATAL, Brazil
Substitute John Brooks headed an 86th-minute winner as the United States beat Ghana 2-1 in a World Cup Group G clash on Monday, just as the Africans thought they had snatched a draw.
US captain Clint Dempsey scored after 32 seconds, the fifth-fastest goal in World Cup history, and for most of the game, that looked like enough, as Ghana repeatedly failed to turn their dominant possession into clear chances.
Dempsey' goal made him the first US player to score in three different World Cups and was the fastest ever scored by an American in the tournament.
The Africans did finally tie up the score after 82 minutes, when a clever flick by Asamoah Gyan set up Andre Ayew for a neat finish – and then Brooks thumped home the winner just four minutes later.
Ghana knocked the US out in the round of 16 four years ago and effectively did so in 2006 when they beat them in their final group game, but the US now has a chance to progress from a group containing Germany and Portugal, who met earlier on Monday with Germans winning 4-0.
(Editing by Ossian Shine.)