Crew Rally Past FC Cincinnati 2-1 in Hell Is Real as Thiaré and Gazdag Strike Late in the First Half

Six minutes into first-half stoppage time, Dániel Gazdag stood over the penalty spot with the Ohio derby in his hands. He sent it right-footed into the bottom right corner, and Columbus walked into the locker room having flipped the entire night in roughly 10 minutes.

That was the winner. The Columbus Crew came from behind to beat FC Cincinnati 2-1 on Saturday night in the 22nd edition of Hell Is Real, according to the AP, with Jamal Thiaré heading in the equalizer before Gazdag's spot kick. It also snapped Cincinnati's five-match unbeaten run on the road.

Cincinnati Strike First, Columbus Strike Back

For a half hour, this looked like a Cincinnati night. In the ninth minute Pavel Bucha drove down the right and crossed, Evander cushioned it into Kévin Denkey's path, and Denkey finished left-footed from the centre of the box into the bottom left corner. ESPN credits Evander with the assist; the AP and the club also credited Bucha.

The goal had some history attached. FC Cincinnati said it was Denkey's 33rd career goal for the club, tying Brenner for third on the club's all-time list, and his 15th of the season in all competitions. The AP counted it as his 11th goal this season. Evander's assist, per the club, stretched his goal-contribution streak to seven consecutive games, tying the second-longest streak in club history.

Columbus kept knocking. Patrick Schulte denied Gerardo Valenzuela in the 12th minute, Roman Celentano stopped Steven Moreira two minutes later, and Dylan Chambost and Thiaré each missed narrowly inside the first 20 minutes. Cincinnati had its own looks, with Kenji Mboma Dem heading just over in the 22nd minute and Denkey forcing a save from more than 35 yards in the 33rd.

Then came the swing. In the 41st minute Thiaré fired just over from a Max Arfsten cross, Columbus won a corner, and Chambost's delivery found Thiaré at point-blank range for a header into the roof of the net. The AP noted it was Thiaré's first goal in his first season with the Crew. Schulte then kept it level by saving an Evander effort from the left side of the box.

Stoppage time delivered the gut punch. Matt Miazga was penalized for a foul on Arfsten in the box, and Gazdag converted for 2-1. The AP pointed out that two of his three goals this season have come from the spot in the last week.

The Second Half Got Loud

The second half turned into a scrap. Celentano saved a Gazdag shot from the centre of the box in the 55th minute, and Schulte answered by stopping substitute Tom Barlow's header from an Evander cross in the 68th. Pat Noonan's side kept firing from distance, with Evander trying three times between the 76th and 80th minutes without hitting the target.

Columbus had chances to put it away, including a Taha Habroune shot that Celentano saved in the 76th minute and an Arfsten drive he turned away in the 81st. Ayoub Jabbari had a stoppage-time header blocked, and the night ended with the kind of chaos this rivalry is known for: Valenzuela was sent off for violent conduct in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time.

The Men Who Made It

Gazdag took four shots, put two on target and scored the winner. Interim head coach Laurent Courtois liked the edge he is seeing from his attacker, saying of Gazdag, per MLSsoccer.com, "He is bringing a bit of a bite." MLSsoccer.com noted Gazdag has scored twice in as many matches since the league restarted.

Thiaré had three shots and the equalizer, and he was a constant presence in the box. Chambost delivered the corner for the assist, which the AP said was his fourth.

Schulte finished with four saves, and several of them came at moments that mattered, especially the Evander stop right after the equalizer and the Barlow header in the second half.

For Cincinnati, Denkey scored on one of his two shots on target and Evander was the creative engine, with four shots and the assist. Celentano matched Schulte with four saves.

The 10 Minutes That Decided It

Everything came down to the closing stretch of the first half. Cincinnati were in control at 1-0, had just missed a fast-break chance through Denkey in the 39th minute, and looked set to go into halftime ahead. Instead, the Crew scored from a corner in the 41st and from the spot six minutes into stoppage time. Two set pieces, two goals, one completely different game.

Courtois framed the comeback as a test of whether his players would stick to the plan once they fell behind. "This is a game of emotion, for sure. But also, are we doing the stuff that we agreed would put us in a position to succeed, or do we let go because now we are chasing?" he said, per MLSsoccer.com.

Stats That Matter

• Shots on target: 6 to 5 for Columbus, with 13 total shots to Cincinnati's 12. This was close.
• Saves: four apiece for Schulte and Celentano.
• Crosses: 11 of 23 accurate for Cincinnati, compared with 2 of 17 for Columbus. Cincinnati's service was sharper, but the Crew scored from the set pieces that counted.
• Possession: 52.8 percent for Columbus, with 531 passes to 465.

The Stakes

Columbus improved to 5-4-8 with 19 points, while Cincinnati fell to 6-5-6 with 23. The Crew bounced back from a 2-1 home loss to New York City FC on Wednesday, and MLSsoccer.com noted Courtois is now responsible for two of the club's five league wins this season.

The AP added some rivalry context: Cincinnati still lead the series 9-7-6, but only one of those wins has come in Columbus. The last time these teams met, Cincinnati won a first-round playoff series 2-1 last season.

Next up, Columbus visit Inter Miami CF on Saturday, Aug. 1, while Cincinnati return to TQL Stadium to host the San Jose Earthquakes that same day.

Final Thought

Courtois summed up his ambition for the club simply: "We want to win, and we want to win a certain way." On Saturday the way was ugly, late and built on set pieces, and in a derby nobody in Columbus will care. Hell Is Real is Ohio soccer's version of the Dundies from The Office: outsiders may never fully understand why it matters so much, everybody in the room absolutely does, and this time the Crew get to give the acceptance speech.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Additional details from the AP recap via ESPN and FC Cincinnati's official match recap. Laurent Courtois quotes as reported by MLSsoccer.com.