Crew stunned late, draws 2-2 at Inter Miami – MASSIVE REPORT
With a 2-1 win over the New York Red Bulls this past Saturday, the Columbus Crew had a quick turnaround, taking on Inter Miami on the road for the second and final matchup of the regular season between the two teams. The Crew dominated the game but was once again stunned late by a goal that took away points in a disappointing 2-2 draw.
The attack by the Black & Gold started early when playmaker Lucas Zelarayan played a ball over the top to midfielder Alexandru Matan. Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender came off of his line, however, to easily collect the attempt.
In the 11th minute, Columbus had a slew of attacking opportunities midway through the first half, but couldn’t find the back of the net.
Miami was able to generate a hefty amount of possession but had no signs of a real threat of scoring. The Crew did well defensively, but the likes of Inter attackers Leonardo Campana and Nicolas Stefanelli remained a threat.
Midfielder Darlington Nagbe gave the visitors a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute. Nagbe’s shot from distance found the back of the net after Callender was able to punch away a corner kick from Zelarayan.
Zelarayan came close to helping forward Cucho Hernandez double the lead in the 32nd minute when a cross from the left wing found the head of the Colombian forward, but the attempt was sent over the crossbar.
Just four minutes later, Zelarayan found Mohamed Farsi with a low driven ball to put the wing back one-on-one with Callender. A failed first touch let Callender get a piece of the ball and the second attempt from Farsi was ensuingly cleared away for a corner kick.
The Black & Gold held on to the 1-0 lead heading into halftime but the advantage didn’t last long. Miami found the equalizer in the 57th minute when Campana got his head on a corner kick, sending the effort past Columbus goalkeeper Patrick Schulte.
Despite conceding on the road the Crew did not give up. Zelarayan was able to get around defender Benjamin Cremaschi and fire a shot off of his left foot that just missed the far post.
A minute later, Hernandez pounced on a loose ball from the foot of Matan and fired a square ball to the back post where Christian Ramirez was able to lay out and get on the end of the pass, giving the Black & Gold a 2-1 lead.
Three minutes later, Inter had an opportunity to level, but the attempt was sent high and wide.
At the other end, Columbus thought the team had a third goal when left wing back Yaw Yeboah played a ball back inbounds to find Hernandez, but the assistant deemed the ball went out of play beforehand.
Just when the Crew thought the team had the win in the bag, Miami founding a tying goal. Just before the 90th minute mark, Campana played a ball into the middle of the penalty box for substitute Josef Martinez whose bicycle kick rifled past Schulte into the back of the net, leveling the game and helping Miami escape with a point.
A point on the road is not bad
In South Florida, where the weather was 85 degrees with a real feel of 92 degrees, a point on the road with a rotated lineup is not something to be upset about. But given how this game played out, it will once again feel like two points lost by the Black & Gold
Columbus still can’t kill off games
Earlier in the season, the Crew struggled to hold on to leads, failing to run clock enough to secure tight three points. It seemed that the Black & Gold started to rectify this issue, but it once again crept up in this match.
This time around, it wasn’t so much the defending, despite conceding late, but the inability to score the third or fourth goal when the chances were in abundance that did Columbus in. Offense hasn’t been a problem for this team but a lack of clinical finishing cost the Crew on Tuesday.
What’s next?
The Black & Gold back at home Saturday against New York City FC. Kickoff from Lower.com Field is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. Fans can watch the match with MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
