A late penalty kick from Cristian Dajome saw Vancouver Whitecaps FC deny Minnesota United FC all three points at the death on Saturday evening to salvage a 2-2 draw in Sandy, Utah.
Dajome converted from the spot after he was adjudged to have been taken down in the penalty area by Minnesota's Ethan Finlay, despite fierce protests from the visitors. Dajome and Finlay had exchanged goals in the first half before Robin Lod's 76th-minute strike looked to have given the Loons all three points.
The home side opened up the scoring in the 36th minute after Dajome made a blistering forward run past the Loons defense, slipping through a massive hole left by Brent Kallman, who was caught out of position. The Colombian was served a delicious through ball from teammate Russel Teibert and after a few touches, he slotted the ball in the bottom right corner.
Minnesota, though, responded quickly to going behind. Finlay was fed a picture-perfect through ball from Emanuel Reynoso down the center of the Caps' box and the winger split the center backs, scoring his first goal of the 2021 campaign.
At the halftime break, the Loons opted for a change in formation, bringing on Designated Player Adrien Hunou and switching from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1.
The Frenchman slowly found his way into the game and found the first real second-half chance for Minnesota in the 68th minute. The Loons earned a free kick after Reynoso was brought down, and the Argentine's service found the head of Hunou, whose effort went off the inside of the right post.
Vancouver's attack seemed absent for the majority of the half, with their midfield overwhelmed by Minnesota's constant forward movement.
That pressure eventually turned into a goal for the visitors. In the 76th minute, midfielder Wil Trapp won the ball off a 'Caps turnover and found Lod making a run into the box. The Finnish international cut onto his left foot and fired home, giving the Loons a 2-1 lead.
But controversy arrived late to make it three straight draws for the Whitecaps.
Goals
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: This was an unexpected ending to the match, but both teams should be fairly content with the result. For the Whitecaps, it’s an earned point when it seemed as if they wouldn’t take anything from the match. For the Loons, it’s a point on the road and they’ve now gone 11 unbeaten in their past 12. Each side now has a week-long break before they return to the pitch, with Vancouver now having the opportunity to return to Canada and train in their own facilities.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Cristian Dajome’s 94th-minute equalizer from the penalty spot. The controversial penalty earned the Whitecaps a point late.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Cristian Dajome. The Colombian attacker scored a brace and salvaged a late point for his side from the penalty spot.
Next Up
- VAN: Sunday, August 8 at LA Galaxy | 8 pm ET (MLS LIVE on ESPN+)
- MIN: Saturday, August 7 vs. Houston Dynamo FC | 8 pm ET (MLS LIVE on ESPN+)
