Artur got his first MLS regular-season goal and helped his side snap their four-game winless streak as the Columbus Crew SC beat New York City FC 3-1 on Sunday night.
The Brazilian broke the stalemate in the 26th minute when he jumped on a loose ball in the box to slot it past NYCFC goalkeeper Sean Johnson. It was Artur's first goal since the 2017 Eastern Conference Semifinals — also against NYCFC.
Once Columbus opened the scoring, NYCFC turned it up a notch for the last 15-plus minutes of the half, with four shots going wide and Columbus blocking another three.
The Crew SC were able to hold off the visitors to close out the first 45 minutes and then increased their lead to 2-0 early in the second half. Taking advantage of an NYCFC turnover, Derrick Etienne crossed the ball into the box, where Pedro Santos was waiting to blast a left-footed shot at the goal.
Less than five minutes later, NYCFC’s ValentÃn Castellanos responded with a close-range goal when a corner kick bounced right at his feet.
As the game wound down in stoppage time, a foul in the box gave Columbus a penalty kick and the opportunity to put a nail in the coffin. Gyasi Zardes stepped to the spot and, after Johnson blocked the initial shot, the Crew striker followed up and tapped it in for his 11th goal of the season.
Goals
- 26' - CLB - Artur | WATCH
- 49' - CLB - Pedro Santos | WATCH
- 55' - NYC - Valentin Castellanos | WATCH
- 90+3' - CLB - Gyasi Zardes | WATCH
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: Columbus Crew SC snap their four-game winless streak and can secure a playoff berth tonight if Atlanta United lose or tie vs. Toronto FC. One worry for coach Caleb Porter will be seeing both Pedro Santos and Artur have to leave the game early due to injury. As for NYCFC, they had their moments in the game but are now three matches without a win following a run of three-straight victories. Ronny Deila's men still sit in 6th place in the standings, but the playoff race is tight in the East and the New York Red Bulls are hot on their tails. Adding to NYCFC's concerns, Maxime Chanot and Castellanos are both out for the next game due to yellow card accumulation.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Columbus Crew SC goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell made some huge saves to keep his side in the match and eventually get the win, including this one in the 48th minute.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Both 'keepers had great performances tonight, but Man of the Match goes to the winning side's Andrew Tarbell for playing his part in the win in a big way.
Next Up
- CLB: Saturday, October 24 at Houston Dynamo (8 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US; MLS LIVE on DAZN in Canada)
- NYC: Saturday, October 24 vs. Montreal Impact (7:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US; TSN5, TVA Sports in Canada)
