A hat trick of Federico Higuain assists helped lift the Columbus Crew SC to a 3-2 win over the New York Red Bulls in an Eastern Conference showdown with playoff implications Saturday night at MAPFRE Stadium.
Jonathan Mensah scored his second goal of the season six minutes after kickoff when he latched onto a sensational Higuain free kick and headed past Luis Robles to put the Crew SC in front.
Bradley Wright-Phillips equalized eight minutes later. Sean Davis’ tenacity forced a turnover in the Columbus defensive third and the midfielder slid a pass to Wright-Phillips, who turned and slipped a low shot inside the far post for his 16th goal of the season.
Ola Kamara had a golden chance to put Crew SC in front, but he chipped over an open net after Robles came out to challenge in the 39th minute.
Justin Meram raced onto a Higuain pass, cut inside of Fidel Escobar and fired inside the far post from 16 yards out to give the Crew SC a 2-1 lead in the 54th minute.
After Josh Williams flicked in a Higuain corner kick at the near post to double Crew SC’s lead in the 67th minute, second-half substitute Gonzalo Veron scored from the penalty spot following Video Review to pull the Red Bulls within 3-2 five minutes later.
Goals
- 6’ – CLB – Jonathan Mensah WATCH
- 14’ – NY – Bradley Wright-Phillips WATCH
- 54’ – CLB – Justin Meram WATCH
- 67’ – CLB – Josh Williams WATCH
- 72’ – NY – Gonzalo Veron (PK) WATCH
Three Things
- LATE SEPTEMBER CREW CALL: Columbus is making a late-season surge up the Eastern Conference standings. Crew SC are now undefeated in seven straight (4-0-3) and one point behind third-place Chicago. The Fire, though, have a game in hand.
- RED ALERT: While Columbus is moving up the table, the Red Bulls are clinging to a spot above the playoff line. Now winless in their last six, New York is three points clear of the Montreal Impact heading into both teams’ midweek matches. Red Bulls fans grimace – you’ll be rooting for NYCFC against Montreal on Wednesday.
- A LONG TIME COMING: When Josh Williams made a near-post run and flicked a Federico Higuain corner kick past Luis Robles for what proved to be the winning goal, it was the central defender’s first goal since the first time he wore a Crew SC jersey. It was April 27, 2013 to be exact, a 3-0 home win over D.C. United. That goal was also set up by Higuain.
Next Up
- CLB: Saturday, September 30 – vs. DC United (7:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE)
- NY: Wednesday, September 27 – vs. DC United (7:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE)
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