In an early test against the defending Supporters' Shield winners in the New York Red Bulls, a set-piece header from Gaston Sauro solidified a 1-1 draw for the Black and Gold on Saturday, March 2 at MAPFRE Stadium as part of Opening Match of the 2019 MLS campaign.
Despite an early Red Bulls' goal in the sixth minute from Andreas Ivan, Columbus Crew SC (0-0-1, 1 pt.) responded just before the half's end when Federico Higuain curled in a corner kick towards the near-post for Sauro, who flicked it back-post past an unsuspecting Luis Robles for his first career goal with Crew SC.
Riding the late-half momentum, the Crew controlled possession - and a majority of the big chances - in the second half with a 71.5 percent possession rate. As New York bunkered down with three early subs in the second half, the Reds' passing accuracy rate dropped to 63.9 percent compared to Columbus'
The Black and Gold continue action next week on the road at the New England Revolution on Saturday, March 9 at 2 p.m. ET. Supporters can watch the match on SportsTime Ohio or listen on 97.1 FM The Fan or www.ColumbusCrewSC.com.
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Goal Scoring Rundown:
RBNY - Andreas Ivan (Florian Valot), 6th minute: An easy back-post chip from Valot offered Ivan a wide-open putaway for Ivan, with Steffen left with no favorable angle to try and deny a close-range opportunity. CLB 0, RBNY 1
CLB ā Gaston Sauro (Federico Higuain), 41st minute: Columbus was awarded a corner kick, with Higuain taking the honors. The Argentine curled in a hard-hit ball to the near post, which Sauro flicked back-post for his first club career goal. CLB 1, RBNY 1 | FINAL
- Columbus Crew SC Match Report -
Match: Columbus Crew SC vs. New York Red Bulls
Date: March 2, 2019
Competition: MLS Regular Season
Venue: MAPFRE Stadium at Columbus, Ohio
Attendance: 17,931
Kickoff: 4:38 p.m. ET
Weather: 40 degrees; Cloudy
<strong>Scoring Summary</strong> |
<strong>1st Half</strong> |
<strong>2nd Half</strong> |
<strong>Final</strong> |
Columbus Crew SC |
1 |
0 |
1 |
New York Red Bulls |
1 |
0 |
1 |
Lineups:
Columbus Crew SC
New York Red Bulls
Stats Summary: CLB / RBNY
Shots: 13 / 14
Shots on Goal: 4 / 5
Saves: 3 / 4
Corner Kicks: 9 / 3
Fouls: 11 / 9
Offside: 6 / 2
Misconduct Summary:
Harrison Afful (CLB) - 15'
Aaron Long (RBNY) - 27'
Wil Trapp (CLB) - 31'
Cristian Casseres, Jr. (RBNY) - 68'
Pedro Santos (CLB) - 74'
Waylon Francis (CLB) - 91'
Columbus Crew SC
New York Red Bulls
