Orlando City hammers Columbus Crew 5-2
A heavy rain day in Central Florida affected the turn out at the Citrus Bowl this evening as Orlando City took on Columbus Crew SC and more folks will surely have wished they had braved the weather as the Lions recorded an emphatic 5-2 home win.
In a highly entertaining game, Orlando found themselves down 1-0 early in the match when playmaker Federico Higuain scored with a neat finish from a Justin Meram through ball for Crew SC in the fifth minute . Forward Cyle Larin (pictured above) equalized for the Lions in the 17th minute as he finished off an excellent left wing cross from Corey Ashe inside the area.
Seven minutes before halftime, midfielder Darwin Cerén (pictured above) blasted home Orlando’s second goal into the top right hand corner after receiving a clever through-ball from Kaká.
City extended their lead in the second half as Larin finished another Ashe cross in the 53rd minute, extending his season tally to 11 goals and surely putting him into contention for the MLS Rookie of the Year award. With the brace, Larin also tied Damani Ralph’s single-season rookie scoring record, continuing his tremendous campaign in the Lions’ inaugural season.
Three goals were scored in the final 12 minutes of the match, as Aurélien Collin (pictured above) nodded home a powerful header for the fourth goal in the 77th minute and Cristian Higuita (pictured below) recorded his first goal in purple and Orlando’s fifth in the 84th minute. Crew SC then pulled back a consolation goal in the final minute of the game when Collin scored a headed own-goal running on to a clipped ball over the top.
It was a win that Orlando City wanted desperately after a run of poor form in July and they now move to 27 points in a tight Eastern Conference race while Columbus Crew SC remain on 37 points.
“Obviously I’m delighted with the performance and the result against a very good team,” said head coach Adrian Heath (pictured above). “You know how I feel about (Columbus) and how well coached they are. To come away like we did after conceding early on was an absolutely incredible performance by the boys. It was about four or five outstanding performances. A really good night’s work, players got a lot of reward for a lot of effort.”
First Half:
3’ Cyle Larin continued his strong run of form as of late, finding himself onside with a golden opportunity to put the Lions ahead. However, Columbus goalkeeper Steve Clark was able to get low quick and make a tough save.
5’ Columbus Crew SC would find the back of the net two minutes later when Justin Meram’s ball split the defense, playing Federico Higuain in behind for a tap-in.
12’ Crafty build up play from City on the left-hand-side led to another prime chance for Larin from a Luke Boden cross. The striker’s snap shot was saved by a grateful Clark in the Columbus net.
17’ The rookie’s hard work early in the game was finally rewarded near the midway point of the first half when Larin slotted home a well-placed ball from Corey Ashe, recording his fourth goal in the past two games for City.
22’ With Columbus pushing several players forward in response, Tally Hall produced a big-time save to keep things level, parrying Kei Kamara’s header on the back post with his finger-tips.
38’ With less than 10 minutes remaining in the half, Darwin Cerén doubled Orlando’s lead, after running on to a probing ball from Kaká, volleying his second effort into the top corner.
45 (+2) At the end of the first half, City ventured into the locker room up 2-1 over Crew SC – with both teams level on shots (9).
Second Half:
53’ Early in the second half, Larin’s strong play in the box continued when the forward tucked away another ball from Ashe, comfortably beating Clark to extend City’s lead.
65’ With a two goal cushion, Orlando’s play in the final third became increasingly confident as they continued to push forward for additional goals.
76’ The efficient goal-scoring production continued for City when Aurélien Collin scored his second of the season, nodding Luke Boden’s corner at the near-post into the back of the net.
78’ Heath made his first change of the game, introducing Bryan Rochez for Larin.
81’ Ceren came inches away from recording his first brace as a Lion, blasting a strong effort just over the cross bar.
84’ Orlando continued to entertain the crowd with six minutes left in the game when Cristian Higuita scored his first goal of the season, fueling the supporters who sang from start to finish.
90’ Orlando City conceded its only goal of the half when Aurélien Collin scored an own goal.
90 (+3) The referee blew the final whistle, resulting in a resounding 5-2 victory for Orlando.
Lineups/Substitutions:
Orlando City SC – GK Tally Hall, D Corey Ashe, Aurélien Collin, Seb Hines, Tyler Turner, M Darwin Cerén, Cristian Higuita, Luke Boden, Servando Carrasco, Kaká, F Cyle Larin (Bryan Rochez 78’)
Columbus Crew SC – GK Steve Clark, D Waylon Francis, Michael Parkhurst, Tyson Wahl, Chard Barson (Hector Jimenez 56’) , M Tony Tchani (Mohammed Saeid 66’), Wil Trapp, Ethan Finlay (Cedrick Mabwati 46’), Justin Meram, Federico Higuain, F Kei Kamara
Attendance: 26,586
More photos at : www.FloridaLeisurePhotography.com
