Landon Donovan was mystified by the referee ruling out a US goal at the end of their 2-2 draw with Slovenia, a decision which could shatter their World Cup dreams.
The US fought back from 2-0 down to claim a point on Friday at Ellis Park, which keeps alive their bid of reaching the last 16 ahead of their final Group C game against Algeria. The Americans were denied a sensational victory with time almost up when Malian referee Koman Coulibaly crucially disallowed a header from Rangers midfielder Maurice Edu.
“I’m assuming it was a foul, it couldn’t have been an offside, we asked the referee many times, but he couldn’t explain it,” Donovan said. “I don’t know what to make of it, I didn’t see a foul, I just saw a free-kick and a goal, but he had no answer. I don’t know how much English the referee speaks, but we asked him many times what the call was for and he didn’t answer us.”
Slovenia were on course for the knockout round after goals by midfielder Valter Birsa and striker Zlatan Ljubijankic.
Donovan’s superb goal on 48 minutes came before the equalizer eight minutes from time, when US striker Jozy Altidore flicked on a header and midfielder Michael Bradley fired his shot home.
The result left Slovenia on top of Group C with four points, two ahead of the US.
Coach Bob Bradley, whose son Michael scored the equalizer, said he had heard a few different versions of why Edu’s header was ruled out.
“One version I heard was that Michael was being held and brushed off his marker to get free, but I have also heard there were three fouls in the box, all against Slovenia,” Bob Bradley said.
When asked if he thought it was scandalous to not get an explanation from the referee, the coach was philosophical.
“In the midst of the game, where everything is going on, it is very rare when there is a tough call that the referee will give you the answer,” he said. “When you are involved in the game long enough, there are moments when you feel frustrated, when you feel you have not been handled fairly, but the game moves on and you have to with it.”
Altidore praised his teammates for keeping their cool in the game’s final heated few seconds.
“We were all emotional, we just wanted to know what the call was for at the last play,” the striker said.
Bob Bradley praised his side for their never-say-die attitude, which means they play Algeria in Pretoria on Wednesday with their World Cup future still in their own hands.
“This team has shown it keeps fighting until the end and we have had the experience of pushing games when we are behind,” the 52-year-old said. “It is a credit to the players and their mentality that they will push for the whole 90 minutes.”
Having seen his son Michael score the equalizer in the 82nd minute, Bob Bradley said he was thinking as a coach, not as a proud father.
“Honestly, your emotions are in the game,” he said. “When you talk at halftime with your team 2-0 down, you are challenging everyone to give everything they have to get back in the game. When the goal was scored, I was actually thinking there was still a third goal left.”
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