The Columbus Crew’s return to CONCACAF action ended in dramatic fashion over a fellow MLS challenger.
Wilfried Nancy’s squad claimed a 1-0 first leg victory on Wednesday over the Houston Dynamo thanks to Alexandru Matan’s 96th minute winner. The Crew return to Lower.com Field for the second leg, which is slated for March 12.
Matan’s right-footed finishinto the bottom-right corner proved to be the difference between the two sides. Aldaberto Carrasquilla tried to get in the way of Matan’s effort, but instead watched the shot deflect off of his leg and into the back of the net.
Both Russell-Rowe and Griffin Dorsey had offensive chances denied as both teams went into halftime goal-less.
Christian Ramirez thought he had propelled Columbus in front after 74 minutes but watched as VAR waived off the goal due to offsides. However, the Crew would receive a winning goal from a fellow substitute as Matan netted his first goal since scoring against Atlanta United in last season’s run to MLS Cup.
The Dynamo have now lost back-to-back games, but will have an extended break until Tuesday’s second leg.
New England Revolution 4, LD Alajuelense 0
The New England Revolution rebounded from their second-straight MLS defeat by strolling past Costa Rican side Alajuelense in CONCACAF Champions Cup action on Wednesday night.
Tomas Chancalay scored twice while Esmir Bajraktarevic and Nick Lima also added goals in a 4-0 first leg triumph in Foxborough. The Revs will make the trip to Costa Rica next week, seeking advancement into the tournament quarterfinals.
Lima broke the deadlock for the Revs in the 28th minute, finishing off DeJuan Jones’ cross into the back of the net. It marked Lima’s first goal for the club following his winter move from Austin FC.
Chancalay extended the Revs’ lead to 2-0 before halftime, slotting home Nacho Gil’s through ball pass for his third goal of the competition.
The Argentine scored his second goal of the night to make it 3-0 early in the second half. Edward Cedeño’s hand ball allowed Chancalay the opportunity to step up from the penalty spot and slot home.
Bajraktarevic capped the final score at 4-0 in the 55th minute, picking up a pass from Lima before stroking home into the bottom-left corner. It was a rewarding moment for the U.S. men’s national team attacker, who worked tirelessly all night.
Henrich Ravas made three saves to preserve the home clean sheet, giving the Revs major confidence heading into MLS play this weekend.
The Revs travel to Atlanta United on Saturday, seeking their first points of the new league campaign.
This website aggregates and curates news articles, blog posts, and other content from a variety of external sources. While we aim to link back to the original source, this site does not own or claim ownership of any articles, posts, or other content indexed on this site. The views, opinions, and factual statements expressed in each piece of aggregated content belong solely to its respective author and publisher. We make no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of aggregated content. Visitors are advised to verify facts and claims through the original source before reuse or redistribution.
