Former New York Red Bulls star Homegrown product Tyler Adams scored the game-winning goal for RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga side's UEFA Champions League quarterfinal match with Atletico Madrid on Thursday, after entering the match as a second-half substitute.
Adams came on in the 72nd minute with his team tied 1-1 after an equalizing penalty kick from Atletico's Joao Felix, and delivered a dramatic game-winner in the 87th minute, collecting the ball at the top of the area and uncorking a rocket shot that took a deflection before finding the back of the net for the goal that sent RB Leipzig to the Champions League semifinals. Watch it below.
It was a milestone moment for Adams even before the massive goal, as he became the fifth US player to feature in a Champions League quarterfinal with the appearance, putting him in some select company.
"Itās a deflection but it counts the same as a regular one so Iāll take it," Adams joked afterward in an interview with CBS Sports.
"It's so exciting for me to come in and play in a Champions League game," he continued. "For the first six months, when we started the Champions League campaign, I was injured so it's a good feeling to get out there, obviously fully fit, and show what I'm capable of."
Adams and RB Leipzig will now play French champions Paris Saint-Germain, including superstars Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, in the semifinals. Adams says he's relishing the challenge.
"Thatās something definitely to get excited about," he said. "Itās a hard challenge but weāre going to be up for it."
