Christian Benteke has been scoring goals all season for D.C. United. But the Belgian striker pulled off arguably his most dramatic feat yet during his team's comeback 3-2 victory at Minnesota United FC on Wednesday.
Benteke delivered all three points for the visitors with his close-range 91st-minute game-winner that stunned the home crowd at Allianz Field, claiming Energy Moment of the Match presented by Celsius honors for Matchday 27.
It was the third goal contribution of the match for the 33-year-old, who assisted on Aaron Herrera's equalizer just one minute earlier and also netted the game's opening goal in the 14th minute. The outburst brings Benteke up to 16g/4a in 21 MLS matches this season, putting him just one goal behind Real Salt Lake star Cristian Arango for the 2024 Golden Boot presented by Audi lead.
"He's been doing that all year. I've said it every single time that he's been able to perform in the way that he performed tonight – two goals and an assist – and stepping up is really important for us," D.C. United head coach Troy Lesesne said after the match. "This is a really important three points. And we know that every time we can put three points on the board at this stage, it's going to give us a chance to realize our end goal for the year in 2024. And Christian's a big, big part of that. So he's someone that I'm really fortunate to work with. I don't take that for granted.
"The way we were able to win tonight has everything to do with how he performed. He's going to keep leading our group and I think he's got a great chance to be the Golden Boot winner this year."
It was a crucial result for the Black-and-Red as they look to climb into an Audi MLS Cup Playoffs spot in the Eastern Conference. With a second-straight victory, D.C. United now have a 6W-11L-8D record, with 26 points, leaving them one off the pace of ninth-place CF Montréal.
D.C. United return to action on July 26, when they commence Leagues Cup action with a road matchup at Atlanta United (8 pm ET | Apple TV - Free).
