PHOTO BY MARK THOR VIA ORLANDO CITY SC
Orlando City SC beat the Columbus Crew 3-2 on Saturday night at Inter&Co Stadium, as Iván Angulo scored in the 89th minute and goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau set a club record with 12 saves. The win lifts Orlando City SC to 11-13-4 and 37 points. The Columbus Crew fall to 8-15-5 and 29 points. So sad.
Harvey Sarajian gave the Lions the lead in the first minute, in what the club called the third-fastest goal in its history. Angulo raced onto a through ball and cut a pass back to Antoine Griezmann, who found Sarajian in the middle for a right-footed finish into the lower right corner. It was Sarajian’s second goal for Orlando City and his first MLS start.
Columbus pulled level in the seventh minute, when Santiago Rodríguez slipped a pass to Taha Habroune, who finished into the lower right corner. Orlando City restored its lead in the 16th minute when Griezmann curled a left-footed free kick into the lower left corner. It was his 10th goal in all competitions since he joined the club this summer.
Brais Méndez equalized for Columbus eight minutes into the second half. Habroune slipped him a ball, and Méndez pulled Crépeau off his line before finishing with his left foot.
Angulo scored the winner when he played a ball wide to Martín Ojeda, took the return pass in the box, and sent it home. It was Angulo’s fifth straight MLS match with a goal, tying Griezmann for the longest scoring streak in a single season in club history. T
Columbus pushed for a late equalizer, but Crépeau held firm. His 12 saves broke the club’s single-match record of 11, set by Mason Stajduhar and matched by Crépeau in the season opener against Red Bull New York.
“Very happy with the three points,” Crépeau said. “We know how crucial the points are from now until the end of the year. It’s going to be super important to continue putting in strong performances, especially at home, with three of our next four matches here.”
Sarajian said the team talked about starting fast. “The whole pregame talk was energy, energy, energy, and start fast because we’ve had some slow starts,” he said.
Orlando City plays at Toronto FC on Wednesday, October 14, at BMO Field. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. on Apple TV.
