The legend of Federico Higuain continued to grow on Saturday night as the Columbus Crew's latest signing spurred his team to yet another comeback win. After falling behind the expansion Montreal Impact late in the second half, the Crew's Designated Player sent two inch-perfect balls into the penalty area in the final ten minutes, serving up goals from Chad Marshall and Emilio Renteria.
Columbus has now won four straight games, unbeaten in their last six, in their pursuit of a fifth consecutive playoff berth. Depending on results elsewhere, the Crew could finish the weekend in fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
The visitors held a slight advantage through the first half, their tactical organization showing how the team had entered with a five-game winning streak. Columbus were able to create a few scoring chances, but did not get their first shot on goal until the 33rd minute when Jairo Arrieta shot into Troy Perkins' chest from a tight angle.
At the other end of the field, Andy Gruenebaum was called upon a few times, most significantly in the 32nd minute. Lamar Neagle carried the ball into the penalty area, avoiding an attempted clearance from Chad Marshall, but Gruenebaum rushed quickly off his line and forced the midfielder to shoot into his chest.
Columbus started the second half with a decidedly more offensive posture, keeping the ball in the Montreal half for much of the opening ten minutes. The Crew created a flurry of chances in the opening five minutes, but Troy Perkins was able to save shots from Nemanja Vukovic (acrobatically past the far post) and Eddie Gaven (on the ground at his near post).
After surviving the opening onslaught, Montreal took the lead in the 73rd minute. Substitute Sanna Nyassi carried the ball down the right side and into the penalty area before cutting a pass back to Felipe Martins. Martins spun and threaded the ball to Marco Di Vaio, unmarked at the back post after Nemanja Vukovic failed to connect on a lunging clearance attempt. Di Vaio finished the sequence by calmly chipping the ball over Gruenebaum and into the net.
The Impact tired after taking the lead, failing to register a shot over the closing 15 minutes of the game. Columbus, on the other hand, produced another late comeback. Justin Meram won a free kick along the left flank with ten minutes to play, which Higuain served precisely into space for Chad Marshall to head past Perkins.
Higuain produced another delicate cross in stoppage time, floating a pass tantalizingly into the area where Emilio Renteria skipped a header off the top of his head and into the back of the net. It was the second consecutive game in which Higuain masterminded a game-winning goal in stoppage time.
What it means
With the win Columbus moves up to 42 points (12-8-6) and into the thick of the playoff race. Depending on results elsewhere, the team could finish the weekend in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The Impact's road loss leaves Montreal with a much tougher climb to the playoffs, despite their total of 39 (12-3-14). The expansion team has only five games left to play this season.
Timeline of Events
3' Corner kick, Montreal (left side) too long
13' Corner kick, Columbus (left) short, played backwards
17' Corner kick, Columbus (left) punched clear
18' Caution, Danny O'Rourke (Reckless foul on Marco Di Vaio)
24' Caution, Collen Warner (Reckless foul on Chris Birchall)
26' Corner kick, Columbus (right) cleared
42' Corner kick, Montreal (left) headed clear
45+' Corner kick, Montreal (left) cleared over the end line
45+' Corner kick, Montreal (left) cleared
48' Corner kick, Columbus (right) headed shot saved
55' Corner kick, Montreal (right) caught
59' Sanna Nyassi replaces Davy Arnaud
63' Justin Meram replaces Dilly Duka
73' 0-1 Marco Di Vaio (Felipe Martins, Sanna Nyassi)
77' Emilio Renteria replaces Jairo Arrieta
80' 1-1 Chad Marshall (Federico Higuain)
81' Andrew Wenger replaces Lamar Neagle
88' Cole Grossman replaces Chris Birchall
93+' 2-1 Emilio Renteria (Federico Higuain)
96+' Corner kick, Columbus (right) short, killing time
96+' Corner kick, Columbus (right) short, killing time
Attendance
12,522
Lineups
Columbus Crew
Andy Gruenebaum, Sebastian Miranda, Chad Marshall, Danny O'Rourke, Nemanja Vukovic, Chris Birchall (Cole Grossman 88'), Eddie Gaven, Milovan Mirosevic, Dilly Duka (Justin Meram 63'), Federico Higuain, Jairo Arrieta (Emilio Renteria 77')
Unused subs
Matt Lampson, Eric Gehrig, Tony Tchani, Ethan Finlay
Montreal Impact
Troy Perkins, Matteo Ferrari, Alessandro Nesta, Nelson Rivas, Jeb Brovsky, Davy Arnaud (Sanna Nyassi 59'), Patrice Bernier, Felipe Martins, Collen Warner, Lamar Neagle (Andrew Wenger 81'), Marco Di Vaio
Unused Subs
Evan Bush, Josh Gardner, Dennis Iapichino, Shavar Thomas, Sinisa Ubiparipovic
Up next
Columbus has one game to play before they can recover, this Wednesday at New England. They will then have ten days to recover before returning action in New York. Montreal does not play again for two weeks, with their next match coming September 15th in Chicago.
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