Germany beat US 1-0 as both advance to Round of 16

Despite the loss, the US also made it through to the Round of 16 after Portugal beat Ghana 2-1, giving them the same four points as the Americans but an inferior goal difference. 

The packed US crowd, meanwhile, let out the loudest cheer of the game on hearing of the Portugal victory in Brasilia. 

Mueller has now joined Argentina's Lionel Messi and Brazil's Neymar as the tournament's top scorer. It was also Mueller's ninth goal in a World Cup.

There had been plenty of speculation ahead of the game about whether the teams and their two German managers would pre-arrange a draw in Recife that would see them both go through.

But from the first minute it was clear that the promises of US coach Juergen Klinsmann and his German counterpart Joachim Loew that both would go for the win was true.

Heavy rain made the ball skid quickly off the surface - and prevented many fans from getting into the stadium on time. But Germany knocked the ball around confidently, enjoying the early possession and pressure, with Lukas Podolski crossing from the left just ahead of Mueller and forcing US keeper Tim Howard into a full length save.

On the other wing Jerome Boateng was also threatening, putting in a great cross, only to see Mueller and Hoewedes get in each other's way.

But the US also looked threatening on the break, working openings through the wings and passing sharply when in the centre. A move in the 21st minute created a shooting opportunity for Graham Zusi, but the midfielder shot just over the bar from the edge of the box.

Later in the half, Mesut Oezil had a great chance to score after weaving an opening in the box, but shot straight at Howard. 

The game was fiercely competitive and the half ended with Bastian Schweinsteiger going in dangerously on Jermaine Jones, followed by a nasty challenge by Michael Bradley on Mueller. 

Boateng put in another good cross to start the second half action, but Oezil headed over under pressure from Omar Gonzalez, who was having his first start of the World Cup and was the best US defender. 

The decisive goal came in the 55th, when Mueller arrowed a low shot into the US net. The ball had dropped to him from a corner after Howard could only parry a header from Per Mertesacker. 

The US had already produced a great comeback in this tournament, but never had the guile to trouble the German backline much after the goal. That changed in injury time, when Philipp Lahm intercepted a goal-bound shot and the US almost scored from the resulting corner.

Klinsmann, however, will take heart at the ability of his team to thwart the hotly favoured Germans for much of the game. Loew, for his part, will feel that his team earned a hard-fought but well-deserved victory that sees them unbeaten in the group stages.