Gotham FC completes incredible week with comeback victory over Seattle Reign | OneFootball

What a follow-up act! After Wednesday's Queens Classic, NJ/NY Gotham FC somehow managed to one-up that performance with an incredible come-from-behind victory over Seattle Reign FC by a score of 3-2. All three goals came after the 80th minute.

At first, it looked like a letdown game for Gotham FC following Wednesday. But the Bats managed to rally with the individual quality from players like Jaedyn Shaw, Rose Lavelle, and Esther González shining through and earning the come-from-behind victory. The NJ/NY side has been susceptible to games like this where they seem to run out of answers against teams lower down than them in the table, but today they managed to find a way through and get the victory when many fans probably thought even one point was out of reach.

Plus, Gotham provided a gut punch to Seattle. This would have been back-to-back impressive wins to keep the Reign close to the bottom end of the playoff line, but that did not happen. They are still in contention, but instead of being in ninth, behind on only goal differential, they sit 12th, three points back of eighth.

Meanwhile, that is now three wins in a row for Gotham as they now embark on a three-game road trip out west where they'll face Portland Thorns FC, Bay FC, and the Houston Dash, and they do so with plenty of momentum and positivity.

What a week for Gotham FC!

The match finally got underway after a two-and-a-half-hour weather delay, and Gotham seemed to be the aggressors early on, looking like the most likely team to score in the opening 10 minutes. This was then flipped on its head in the 12th minute when Mandy Freeman fouled Maddie Mercado in the box, giving Seattle a penalty kick. Mia Fishel stepped up and scored a few minutes later, just past the outstretched Ann-Katrin Berger for her first NWSL goal in her 22nd game.

Seattle then doubled their lead in the 22nd minute through some very simple route one soccer. A short pass from goalkeeper Cassie Miller to Phoebe McClernon then saw the defender deliver a long over-the-top ball to winger Maddie Dahlien. Her cross found Mercado as the late runner into the box, and she buried it for Seattle's second of the game.

The visitors then settled in and were happy to play park the bus soccer for the remainder of the half. Despite getting some good chances and playing well, Gotham could not find the breakthrough and entered halftime down 2-0.

As the second half got underway, Seattle was awarded a penalty kick within the first ten minutes. After a VAR review that took around six minutes, Emily Sonnett was deemed to have fouled Sally Menti in the box. This is despite the contact being minimal, incidental, and so hard to pick up that it took six minutes and thousands of replays to spot it. Dahlien stepped up for this one, who struck the post with her effort, keeping the score at 2-0.

Later on, Sam Kerr, just two minutes after coming on as a sub, nearly scored her first in a Gotham kit when she got her head on a great cross from Midge Purce, but Reign keeper Cassie Miller did just enough to keep the ball out of the net.

Then, with just under 10 minutes to go in the 90, things started to turn around for the Bats. In the 81st minute González first struck the crossbar before she got on the end of a cross from Jaedyn Shaw and tapped home to get one back for Gotham.

The Spanish international was not done, though. She scored her second of the game in the fourth minute of stoppage after getting on the end of a bouncing ball in the box to tie the game, remarkable considering how well Seattle managed to smother the Bats in the first half.

Then just three minutes later, somehow, someway, Gotham found the winner. Kerr had the ball at her feet, but it had just drifted away from her when Lavelle swooped in and finished with a first-time curler that beat Miller and completed the comeback after a truly remarkable game.

It initially looked like a letdown following the huge high that was the Queens Classic on Wednesday, but they eventually figured things out and earned a win that puts them at the top of the table. This was also Lavelle's second phenomenal game-winner in two games, both fantastic finishes that really highlight what a special player she is.

As mentioned, this moves Gotham FC to the top of the table at the time of writing. The Washington Spirit play tomorrow against Boston Legacy FC, and a win would put them ahead of the NJ/NY side on goal differential. Either way, the Bats are in a fantastic position, whether it be tied or in first outright with a game in hand on a few of the teams just below them in the table.