Wild end in the Bronx: Julián Fernández leads NYCFC to the win over the Crew | OneFootball

New York City FC entered Wednesday’s game knowing they had to treat it like a final.  In fact, they will have to do so every match afterward, for the Pigeons are trying to secure a playoff spot.  Of course, the first step was to win at Yankee Stadium in front of a decent crowd for a midweek fixture on a gloomy night.  Were they successful, though?

The answer is yes! It was not easy, but NYCFC beat Columbus 3-2, securing their first win against the Ohio side since 2022.

Head Coach Pascal Jansen only made one change from their win against Chicago Fire FC. Raul Gustavo went back to the bench while Andrés Perea returned after his suspension. As such, Justin Haak moved into the backline to partner with Thiago Martins.

NYCFC had moments where they did not play their best. But the never-back-down mentality sparked the fight throughout the fixture. The players who started did well, but the substitutes who came on later impacted the result.

NYCFC beats the Columbus Crew

Similar to the Fire match, NYCFC was a little slow to get into the game.  The Crew were clearly more threatening to begin the fixture, but the teams shared periods of possession.  Neither team was more dominant than the other as the first half progressed.

As such, anyone could have gone ahead first.  But it was a foul in the box by Aiden O’Neill on Wessam Abou Ali that gave the Crew the best chance to score first.  Dániel Gazdag stepped up to take the penalty kick, sent Matt Freese the wrong way, and powerfully kicked the ball into the left side of the net.  Once again, NYCFC was down 1-0 for the second match in a row.

But that did not last long, for Hannes Wolf tied it up in stoppage time of the first half.  Haak obtained possession of the ball from a free kick and sent it across the face of the goal.  There were a few players there who could tap in the ball, and Wolf was the one to do so.  He was in the right place at the right time and needed the goal, too.  It was his first in Major League Soccer since he scored against Toronto FC on July 3.

Still, when the Boys in Blue came out of the locker room after halftime, it was like they forgot they were back in the game.  The Crew came out in full force, and NYCFC had to double down defensively, and could barely get opportunities in the final third in the first 15 minutes of the second half.

So, it was not shocking that the Crew went ahead in the 60th minute.  The player to watch, Abou Ali, scored on a header where he hit the ball off the post, and it went into the back of the net.  The striker will certainly be a problem in MLS, and NYCFC should have done better defensively.

After the goal, the Pigeons woke up and remembered they had to play.  They started to dominate play and ferociously attacked the Columbus goal.  Then, in the 73rd minute, Wolf was the hero again.

Substitute Agustín Ojeda ran up the right side of the pitch and found his fellow winger open in the box.  He swept the ball to Wolf, and the Austrian hit the ball into the ground and watched it bounce into the goal.  There was nothing Patrick Schulte could do, and again, the game was tied.

Thankfully, NYCFC did not allow the visitors to take over.  Both teams had opportunities to secure their third goal.  It could have been anyone’s game, and it easily could have ended in a draw.  But Julián Fernández had other ideas.  The substitute scored in the final minute of stoppage time to give his team three points.

It started with Ojeda powering up the right side of the pitch. The Argentine found his fellow Argentine, and sent a though-ball to him. Fernández ran to the ball, and with one touch, flicked a curler of goal to grab the win.

The crazy finish means that NYCFC sits in fifth place in the Eastern Conference.  At least, that will be the case for the next few days.  It does not get easier either, for Charlotte FC, who has been the Bronx team’s kryptonite, will be who they face next.