Recap: Portland Timbers 1, FC Dallas 0

Ari Liljenwall

Jeremy Ebobisse scored an 84th-minute game-winning goal, sending the Portland Timbers to a 1-0 victory over FC Dallas at Providence Park on Saturday.

The sides struggled to generate much traction throughout out the night, with each team posting just one shot on goal until Ebobisse's late strike ensured the Timbers would take all three points.

FC Dallas had two good opportunities of the first half as the contest closed in on intermission through a pair of their homegrown attackers in Ricardo Pepi and Paxton Pomykal. Pepi had the first one, getting on the end of a pinpoint feed from Pomykal at the far post, only to see his close-range shot smash off the crossbar. Pomykal then nearly opened the scoring three minutes from the halftime whistle, hitting a left-footed first-time volley on target, but had it denied by a reaction save from Timbers goalkeeper Steve Clark.

Dairon Asprilla had perhaps the best look for the home side of the opening frame with a powerful distance shot that forced FC Dallas goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer into a diving save that kept the match scoreless heading into the halftime break.

It would stay that way all the way until the 84th, when Ebobisse came through with a huge game-winning tally. The forward took matters into his own hands as he made a charging run on the counterattack, unleashing a laser shot that went past Maurer and into the top netting, giving the Timbers the decisive goal and sending the home crowd at Providence into a frenzy.

Goals

84' - POR - Jeremy Ebobisse | WATCH

Three Things

THE BIG PICTURE: The Timbers will be breathing a sigh of relief thanks to Ebobisse's late heroics, as they were in real danger of dropping a pair of home points to a Dallas side that still has yet to procure a single result on the road all season. Instead, Gio Savarese and Co. have an important three-point result to build on as they continue to build back to full strength and try to start a push back up the Western Conference table.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH: It's the match-winner, which single-handedly flipped this from what would have been arguably the most frustrating result of the season for the hosts, into a victorious one.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Ebobisse would be a more than fair shout, but his strike might not have been the winner if not for some stalwart goalkeeping from Steve Clark that preserved Portland a necessary clean sheet.