Columbus Crew SC recovered after allowing an opening-minute goal to defeat the New England Revolution 2-1 Wednesday.
The game started off in wild fashion, with New England’s Lee Nguyen running through to beat Columbus goalkeeper Steve Clark just over 30 seconds into the match.
“Crazy things happen (in MLS)” Columbus Crew SC Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter said after the match. “But you have to stay calm [and] remain focused.”
Crew SC seemed to maintain control after conceding the opening goal, and won the possession battle with a 60-40 margin in the first half.
“Right after that goal I think we played the best soccer we [did] all game,” Justin Meram said.
The strong effort did pay off for Crew SC, and the reward was seemingly immediate. Hector Jimenez lobbed a cross into the Revolution box and it found the head of Federico Higuain, who’s shot bounced squarely off the crossbar and right into the wheelhouse of MLS goal-leader Kei Kamara, who powered home a diving header of his own to level the score just three minutes later.
“I saw it bang off the crossbar, all I had to do was keep it on frame, and it was good enough,” Kamara said after the match. Kamara, who welcomed his first child last Saturday, capped off the goal with a cradle rocking celebration alongside teammates.
The two teams would then continue to go back and forth, but with none of the action making a mark on scoreboard, and possibly being due to a call that may be considered controversial.
In the 18th minute, when chasing down a long New England pass, Crew SC defender Waylon Francis made contact with the ball, which then flew straight into his own face, causing him to fall over, while appearing to be on the receiving end contact from Revolution midfielder Kelyn Rowe. The call on the pitch was a penalty on Rowe, who had a clear path to the goal, but upon further review it appeared that Francis fell only after the ball struck him in the face,
After a physical closing fifteen minutes of the half, the score remained even at 1-1.
The officiating once again came under fire early in the second half after Justin Meram wanted a handball call against New England after a ball appeared to strike a Revolution defender in the forearm while in the penalty box.
“We haven’t gotten a penalty all year, which I think is odd,” Gregg Berhalter said before clarifying that he is not criticizing the officiating. “I just think it’s odd.”
Just seconds later, New England would be caught off guard after there was no whistle on what Revolution players seemed to think was a handball on Crew SC’s Ethan Finlay, but Finlay continued the play, sent a low cross over to Kei Kamara who finished it off for his second goal of the night and his fourth brace of the season. After the play, Revolution goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth gave Referee Fotis Bazakos an earful, presumably regarding the perceived handball.
Regardless of the officiating, Columbus continued to attack and created more chances, throughout the second half, but towards the conclusion of 90 minutes and stoppage time, New England would threaten. In the 86th minute, after being subbed in just a minute earlier, Crew SC defender Kevan George stepped in with a strong challenge to clear a ball which the Revolution were possessing within the box. New England midfielder Chris Tierney also unleashed a shot from deep in the box, but the bending shot bounced well wide of the goal and a dive from Columbus goalkeeper Steve Clark.
“At the end it was nerve-wracking, but it was good to get that win,” Berhalter concluded about the match.
