NYCFC book second-round ticket with playoff win in Charlotte | OneFootball

Charlotte's MLS campaign came to an end Friday evening as NYCFC marched into the Queen City and collected a gutsy playoff win. 

Goals from Nico Fernández and Alonso Martínez on the break silenced a raucous crowd as the Pigeons flew into the next round to square off with Supporters Shield winners Philadelphia Union. 

It was all Charlotte in the opening 45 minutes as Dean Smith's side probed for the opening goal. 

But despite their superiority in the stats columns, a rip-roaring solo run and goal from Nico Fernández was their undoing after a giveaway in the center of the pitch. 

It surely was a shock to the system for Charlotte to concede in that manner just before halftime, but after the break it went from bad to worse — and another electric NYCFC counter-attack was the reason. 

A superb Maxi Moralez ball found Alonso Martínez over the top, and the Costa Rican did the rest.

The frustration was palpable in Bank of America Stadium as Wilfried Zaha found himself in the center of a handful of chippy exchanges with both NYCFC players and the referee. 

But the home crowd was finally given something to get behind in the final 10 minutes when Idan Toklomati dumped the ball into the back of the net from close-range to pull Charlotte to within one. 

The hosts pushed and pushed to find the leveler and send the match to penalties, but after a gutsy 10 minutes of stoppage time absorbing the Charlotte pressure, Nico Fernández stunned the hosts on the break once more to send the visitors into the next round. 

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