Minnesota United kept their hopes very much alive of claiming a top-four spot in the Western Conference after a late own goal from Lalas Abubakar gave them a 2-1 win over the Colorado Rapids at Allianz Arena on Wednesday.
The Loons were dealt a blow early when key midfielder Osvaldo Alonso needed to be substituted off due to injury. The skipper had been back in the lineup for just over a week but was forced to leave the pitch in obvious anguish in the 28th minute, replaced by Jacori Hayes.
But Minnesota recovered from that loss to break the deadlock in the 44th minute. Following a Cole Bassett turnover in midfield, Emanuel Reynoso had a wide-open lane down the middle to send a through pass for the Finland international, who found himself in a perfect position inside the box to beat William Yarbrough and put the Loons up by one right before halftime.
The Rapids found an equalizer at the 69th minute courtesy of Andre Shinyashiki. In a play that saw the ball make its way from the left to the right side of the box, the reigning MLS Rookie of the Year received the ball from Diego Rubio and beat Dayne St. Clair who had stepped off his line.
Yarbrough denied Minnesota a golden opportunity to notch a go-ahead goal at the 80th minute, when making a tremendous save to keep out Kevin Molino.
The Loons finally found their game-winner, by way of an own goal with just a minute left of the 90. Ethan Finlay zoomed through the right flank and tried to connect with Raheem Edwards with a powerful cross. Abubakar got his head on the ball first but the center back could only redirect Finlay's cross into his own net.
Goals
- 44' — MIN — Robin Lod | WATCH
- 69' — COL — Andre Shinyashiki | WATCH
- 89' — MIN — Lalas Abubakar (OG) | WATCH
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: With the win, the Loons kept the pressure on LAFC for the fourth place in the Western Conference standings. After shaking off a 4-0 loss to Sporting Kansas City, the Colorado Rapids face another loss, this one with a heartbreaking end, and a complicated end to the season is in sight.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Lalas Abubakar lived through every center back's worst nightmare. The Ghanaian redirected Ethan Finlay's cross into his own net, giving Minnesota all three points.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Emanuel Reynoso was the architect of Minnesota United's first goal, locating Robin Lod with a beautiful through ball. The Argentine does not have a goal yet this season but showed his value by creating his team's best action of the night.
Next Up
- MIN: Sunday, November 1 at Sporting Kansas City (7:30 pm ET | MLS Live on ESPN+ in US; MLS Live on DAZN in Canada)
- COL: Sunday, November 1 vs Seattle Sounders FC (9:00 pm ET | MLS Live on ESPN+ in US; MLS Live on DAZN in Canada)
