Columbus Crew SC kept their playoff hopes alive with a 2-0 win over the New England Revolution, their second straight victory over a team ahead of them in the standings. It leaves them just four points off D.C. United in the last playoff spot. With only one more home game left in their final five it’s still an uphill task to claim a playoff spot.
The first half was a very attacking affair which swung between the two teams to produce a total of 18 shots. Columbus started the stronger and came close with a couple of long range efforts from both Mohammed Saeid and Ola Kamara though with only two of their 40 goals this season coming from outside the penalty box they were unable to trouble the score sheet.
The Revolution then started to dominate and should have taken the lead on 27 minutes. Nicolai Naess slipped on the ball in midfield and Columbus old boy Kei Kamara stole the ball and found Juan Agudelo in the box whose toe poke of a shot was well saved by Clark.
Columbus then came back into the game first through Meram trying his luck from 20 yards with his weaker left foot that Brad Knighton just got his fingertips to push the ball onto the bar. The pressure did pay on 42 minutes and it was Kamara with his 14th of the season. Mohammed Saeid found Kamara in the right side of the penalty area and he cut inside and let rip with a left foot shoot that sneak in at Knighton’s near post.
The second half started a lot slower with the first action of note not coming until the 65 minute. Kamara started a move from midfield and freed Harrison Afful down the right and his teasing cross was just missed by Kamara and Knighton punched clearance ricochet off and just missed the post. Minutes later Afful found himself free on the right side of the penalty area, he cut inside and let rip with a shot that cannoned off the right post.
Crew SC was now dominating the game and had more chances to finish the game off with the best coming on 79 minutes when anyone from three players could have scored. First Finlay superbly beat his man and his shot was pushed away; this fell to Dilly Duka whose shot was then deflected and cleared. The ball fell to Kamara who just missed the far post.
The game was finally put to bed in the 82nd minute in controversial fashion from the penalty spot. London Woodberry was judged to have impeded the run of Kamara when it looked like nothing to it. Kamara stepped up and sent Knighton the wrong way for his 15th of the season.
