Robert Lewandowski Outduels Antoine Griezmann as Chicago Fire Beat Orlando City 2-1 After Weather Delay

The marquee said Robert Lewandowski vs. Antoine Griezmann, and for once the headliners delivered. Griezmann set up Orlando City's equalizer. Lewandowski answered by drawing a penalty and then sending it across his body into the bottom left corner in the 69th minute, and that was the night.

The Chicago Fire beat Orlando City 2-1 on Wednesday in a match interrupted by lightning in the 44th minute, according to the AP. Puso Dithejane scored in the fourth minute, David Brekalo headed Orlando level in the 52nd, and Lewandowski's penalty decided it. The win was Chicago's sixth in a row across all competitions, which the club said is its longest such run since 1998.

A Fast Start, Then a Long Wait

Chicago needed less than four minutes to strike. Lewandowski sent an early header high and wide, and moments later David Poreba, making his MLS debut, fed Dithejane, who turned and finished from the middle of the box into the bottom right corner.

Orlando spent most of the rest of the half trying to find a way through. Griezmann had a shot blocked in the 17th minute, and between the 31st and 36th Justin Ellis, Griffin Dorsey and Luis Otávio all had efforts blocked. Ellis also forced Chris Brady into a save from a tight angle after a Griezmann through ball in the 34th. Chicago's best look in that stretch came in the 37th, when Dithejane tested Maxime Crépeau from outside the box.

Brady stopped a Brekalo header in the 41st and a Griezmann shot from distance in the 43rd. Orlando then made a triple change in the 43rd minute, sending on Zakaria Taifi, Tiago and Marco Pasalic, and shortly after that the weather took over. The match was halted for lightning, and the teams did not return for a long while.

Griezmann Delivers, Lewandowski Answers

Orlando made the restart count. In the 52nd minute, Griezmann swung in a corner and Brekalo met it from the right side of the six-yard box, heading into the center of the goal. Inter&Co Stadium came alive.

Chicago coach Gregg Berhalter responded with three changes in the 61st minute, bringing on Robin Lod, Viktor Radojevic and Maren Haile-Selassie. Five minutes later, Lewandowski won a penalty when Robin Jansson fouled him in the box. Chicago said a review upheld the call, Jansson was booked, and in the 69th Lewandowski beat Crépeau low to the bottom left corner.

"If you see the play that led to the penalty, it's an amazing, dynamic play from Robert," Berhalter said, per mlssoccer.com.

Orlando pushed hard over the final 20 minutes. Iván Angulo fired just over in the 73rd, Griezmann dragged a shot wide after a Daryl Dike through ball on a break in the 77th, and Pasalic and Dike both sent efforts over from distance. Brady made his fourth save on a Pasalic shot in the 88th, Griezmann missed high and wide in the 90th, and Chicago saw out the stoppage time.

Who Made the Difference

Robert Lewandowski won the penalty and scored it, his third goal of the regular season and his second game-winner, according to the club. Chicago noted it was his first penalty attempt of the season and that he has three goals in his last three league games.

Puso Dithejane put both of his shots on target and scored once. The club said it was his second goal in only his second regular-season start, and mlssoccer.com counted it as his fourth goal since the World Cup break. "He's a livewire. He times his runs very well," Berhalter said.

David Poreba got the assist on his MLS debut, which Chicago said made him the ninth player in club history to record an assist in his MLS debut. The academy product described the night simply. "Honestly, it's surreal," Poreba said.

Chris Brady made four saves, and Chicago cleared the ball 29 times.

For Orlando, Antoine Griezmann took four shots and assisted Brekalo's goal. By ESPN's play-by-play, he also teed up four other attempts, three of them for Justin Ellis, so the service was there even when the finishing was not. David Brekalo put both of his attempts on target and scored once.

The Turning Point

The penalty. Orlando had drawn level, had most of the ball and had the home crowd behind it. Then Lewandowski won the foul from Jansson, the review backed the call, and the hosts were chasing again. Orlando took six more shots after the penalty and put only one of them on target. Berhalter said afterward it is "up to us to get him the ball in positions where he can do things like that." On this night, one moment of Lewandowski was enough.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Orlando 16 (5 on target), Chicago 7 (3 on target).
• Possession: Orlando 57.3 percent, Chicago 42.7 percent.
• Saves: Brady 4, Crépeau 1.
• Clearances: Chicago 29, Orlando 7.
• Blocks: Chicago blocked five Orlando shots.

The Fire Are Rolling

Chicago Fire FC improved to 11-2-6 with 35 points, which mlssoccer.com said put them third in the Eastern Conference. It was a third straight win in MLS play after victories over Charlotte and Portland. "You name it, we had it in this game. It just shows how strong the mentality of the group is," Berhalter said. The Fire continue their road trip at Red Bull New York on Saturday.

Orlando City fell to 6-3-11 with 21 points and has one win in its last four league matches. Per the AP, Orlando is now 8-9-8 against the Fire. Orlando hosts Real Salt Lake on Saturday.

Main Characters

Everyone came to see the two global stars, and both had their moments. But the Fire's night belonged to a hometown debutant who grew up idolizing the guy taking the penalty. "You go from looking up to this guy your whole life, and now you're friends and teammates with him," Poreba said. That is the kind of plot twist even a Hollywood sports movie would call too neat.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by mlssoccer.com. Match notes from the AP recap via ESPN and Chicago Fire FC (chicagofirefc.com).