Darlington Nagbe has occasionally been critiqued for not racking up goal and assist statistics to a degree that matches his enormous talent. But he was about as clutch as it gets on a damp night in El Salvador Tuesday.
The Portland Timbers star conjured up an injury-time free-kick strike to bag a 2-1 comeback win over CD Dragon in CONCACAF Champions League play, keeping alive the Timbers' hopes of advancement into the tournament's knockout stages.
Nagbe stepped up to a set piece some 25 yards out from Dragon's goal just as the match ticked into injury time, and whipped a sweetly-struck shot into the top left corner of the net to bag all three points for Portland.
The victory gives the Rose City side a chance to nip past group leaders Saprissa (Costa Rica) when they meet in the final CCL Group B match on Oct. 19 in Portland.
