COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (May 25, 2019) – Colorado Rapids are officially on a winning streak. In a back and forth game, they found a way to beat Columbus Crew SC on Saturday night. The final score was 3-2 with substitute Nicolas Mezquida getting the winner.
Nicolas Mezquida Golazo Gets Colorado Rapids Second win Against Columbus Crew
The first half saw end to end action. Colorado moved the ball wide at the first opportunity, with Lewis and Sam Nicholson pushing up field. Columbus played off of Federico Higuan and Gyasi Zardes with the wide players arriving later.
Tommy Smith opened the scoring in the 23rd minute. He beat a crowd of players to a cross from Jack Price on a corner. The ball bounced off the turf and past goalkeeper Zach Steffen.
Pedro Santos tied it up in the 28th minute. A ball into the box was deflected out for Santos in space. He cut inside and curled the ball past goalkeeper Tim Howard. Higuan took a minor injury on the play.
With several injuries in the first half, Baldomero Toledo gave nine minutes of stoppage time. Jonathan Lewis opened his Rapids account on a counter attack. Sam Nicholson ran straight through the Crew midfield, dished the ball off to Lewis who scored. The half ended 2-1.
The Crew would answer again in the 54th minute. Higuain sent a cross to the front of goal. Zardes got between Wynne and Smith, tipping the ball to score.
The best chance after that came on a Crew corner. Kei Kamara headed the ball off the line after it took several deflections in the 66th minute. The sides traded chances in the final 20 minutes with Smith nearly scoring in the 84th minute, heading the ball on another set piece.
Substitute Nicolas Mezquida found the winning magic in the 89th minute. The ball fell to him at the edge of the box on a corner. He took a touch to control then blasted the ball through a gap past Steffen and inside the far post to win the match. The final score was 3-2.
? Nicolas Mezquida ladies and gents ?#Rapids96 | #COLvCLB pic.twitter.com/gD9l4PTR40
— Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids) May 26, 2019
Three Takeaways
Lewis and Santos battle: This game was all about wing play, with Lewis and Santos batting to create chances and burn the opposing fullback. Both got goals and looked good on the whole.
Injuries down Crew: Columbus are the walking wounded, especially at the back. With a makeshift back line, Hector Jimenez got hurt in the first half, forcing Caleb Porter to play conservative with slower players.
Mezquida magic: With just his second goal of the season, Mezquida stole the show with a fantastic shot to win the game. Not a bad celebration either.
