FC Cincinnati was able to get the 2-1 win over the New England Revolutionon a balmy Sunday afternoon in Foxborough in a game thanks to a star performance from Lucho Acosta.
With the win, FCC now moves to third in the Eastern Conference standings, while New England moves to the bottom at 15th.
FIRST HALF
In the first few minutes, Cincinnati dominated possession and had the only attempts on goal. Sergio Santos had an Okoli-esque scissor kick but Ravas had a quality save to deny it.
As the half unfolded, New England was able to assert itself in possession and had multiple efforts on goal.
In the 14th minute, Esmir Bajraktarevic cut inside and had his curling shot saved by Roman Celentano. Just a minute later, the momentum continued, and Tomás Chancalay’s low shot was safely handled by Celentano.
New England continued to attack, however, and in the 33rd minute, Chancalay’s effort bounced off the ground and into the left post.
At the end of the first half, New England had more possession (56 percent), more shots on goal (three), and held the momentum, albeit not by much. For the first time this season, they also held the opposition scoreless at the half.
SECOND HALF
For the second half, it looked to be a more exciting affair as Acosta and Luca Orellano were subbed on and made an immediate impact. In the 46th minute, Lucho dribbled up the field and laid the ball off for Orellano, who slotted it into the bottom right corner. Eventually, however, it was waved off for offsides due to the initial pass by Sergio Santos.
The momentum continued, and just three minutes later, Acosta found a pass for Santos who shot it straight at Ravas.
Yuya Kubo – GOAL (52’): Not long after, a corner by Acosta was swung in. Ravas made a mess of it, and the ball fell straight to Kubo who headed it home.
Lucho Acosta – GOAL (54’): Just two minutes later, a free-kick was earned on the edge of the box. Acosta shot it low and slotted into the back of the net.
Giacomo Vrioni – GOAL (61’): Cincinnati continued to attack, but wasn’t able to find a third before New England found its first. Vrioni found the ball after it was given away, and hit it past Celentano.
In the 76th minute, after a bad giveaway by Luca, a low shot by Kessler was denied by Celentano.
Chancalay barely missed again in the 80th minute. He got past Miazga, and his chip hit the top of the post. A minute later, a low-volley fromNick Lima went straight into the hands of Celentano for his sixth save.
As extra time started, the audacious number eight was shown, and it appeared FCC was in for an eternity of extra time. However, the Revolution were not able to make much of their amount of time, and FCC saw out the 2-1 victory.
. . .
The match was, in many ways, a tale of two halves.
New England had the momentum, the possession and the shots. They kept pushing, but with the help of substitutions and a strong defense, Cincinnati rallied for a second-half win.
It is a confidence boost for the club and a chance for them to continue to go higher in the table. Meanwhile, the opposition still hasn’t tallied a single point in four matches this season.
Lineups:
CIN: Roman Celentano, Yuya Kubo, Kipp Keller (Ian Murphy 74’), Matt Miazga (C), Miles Robinson, DeAndre Yedlin, Pavel Bucha, Malik Pinto (Lucho Acosta 49’), Dado Valenzuela (Luca Orellano 46’), Sergio Santos (Aaron Boupendza 66’), Corey Baird (Stiven Jimenez 87’)
Substitutes not used: Evan Louro, Alvas Powell, Nick Hagglund, Bret Halsey
NE: Henrich Ravas, DeJuan Jones, Dave Romney, Henry Kessler, Nick Lima (Ryan Spaulding 66’), Mark-Anthony Kaye, Ian Harkes (Ema Boateng 86’), Tomas Chancalay, Carles Gil (C), Esmir Bajraktarevic (Nacho Gil 66’), Giacomo Vrioni
Substitutes not used: Earl Edwards Jr., Jonathan Mensah, Andrew Farrell, Tommy McNamara, Noel Buck
Scoring Summary:
New England: Vrioni 61’
FC Cincinnati: Kubo 52’, Acosta 54’
Discipline:
Ian Harkes – (Yellow Card, 48’)
DeAndre Yedlin – (Yellow Card, 63’)
Yuya Kubo – (Yellow Card, 69’)
Lucho Acosta – (Yellow Card, 72’)
DeJuan Jones – (Yellow Card, 83’)
Pavel Bucha – (Yellow Card, 85’)
Giacomo Vrioni – (Yellow Card, 90+4’)
Nacho Gil – (Yellow Card, 90+8’)
Aaron Boupendza – (Yellow Card, 90+8’)
Next Match:
NYCFC (MLS) – Saturday, March 23rd – 7:30 p.m. EST – MLS Season Pass on AppleTV+
Recommended for you
