Kévin Denkey Scores Twice as FC Cincinnati Blank Red Bull New York 2-0

Pat Noonan and Michael Bradley agreed on exactly one thing Saturday night: this was a game of two halves. The difference is that FC Cincinnati owned the half that came with goals.

Kévin Denkey scored twice before the break, including a penalty in first-half stoppage time, and FC Cincinnati beat Red Bull New York 2-0 in front of a sold-out crowd of 25,513 at TQL Stadium. Roman Celentano made six saves to protect the lead through a second half the Red Bulls dominated, and Cincinnati got a measure of payback for a 4-2 loss in New Jersey on April 4.

The Orange Storm

Cincinnati came out like a team tired of chasing games. The club noted it had been stuck in a habit of slow starts and late surges, and the first 15 minutes looked like a deliberate break from that. Bryan Ramírez fired wide in the 7th minute, and then the 13th minute turned into a pinball machine. Evander missed from the center of the box, Denkey hit the left post from point-blank range off an Evander pass, and another Denkey effort was blocked. Evander sent one just past the top right corner a minute later.

The Red Bulls had their own chances in between. Gustav Berggren headed a corner just wide in the 6th minute and Cade Cowell blazed one high in the 16th. But Gerardo Valenzuela's header from close range in the 28th, which also went wide, was the clearest sign that Cincinnati were living in the New York box.

The breakthrough finally came in the 40th minute. Valenzuela switched play with a long ball to Pavel Bucha, according to both clubs, and Bucha slid a low cross through for Denkey to tap in from close range. ESPN credited the assist to Bucha alone.

Evander Draws, Denkey Cashes

Ethan Horvath kept it at one with saves on Evander and Kenji Mboma Dem in the 44th minute, but stoppage time had other plans. Four minutes in, Evander went down under a challenge from Joyeux Masanka Bungi in the box, and Denkey sent the penalty into the bottom right corner.

The Cincinnati site said Evander had won a nearly identical foul earlier in the week against New York City FC, and took that penalty himself. This time he handed the job to the striker, and the striker did not miss.

Bradley's Second-Half Siege

Bradley pulled the booked Masanka Bungi at halftime for Matthew Dos Santos, and the Red Bulls were a different team after the break. Dos Santos smacked the right post with a direct free kick in the 60th minute, Berggren headed wide moments later, and Bradley sent on Emil Forsberg and Jorge Ruvalcaba in the 62nd.

That is when Celentano went to work. He saved from Ronald Donkor in the 63rd, Forsberg in the 64th and 69th, and Ruvalcaba in the 71st. Ruvalcaba also sent a chance from the six-yard box high and wide in the 65th, and Julian Hall dragged one just past the top left corner in the 67th. The Red Bulls finished with 19 shots to Cincinnati's 15, and none of them went in.

"The second half was really, really good," Bradley said. "We pushed them back, counter-pressed well."

Noonan did not disagree. "But now you see the conversation of playing with the lead, and I think that was the part that we struggled with in the second half," he said.

Who Delivered

Kévin Denkey scored twice, hit the post, and now has six MLS goals this season and 10 across all competitions, per the club. Cincinnati said the brace, his second in consecutive matches after two goals in the 4-4 draw at New York City FC, made him just the fourth player in club history to have multiple goals in consecutive games. The club also said the opener was his 11th game-winning goal in MLS play, tying the club record.

Roman Celentano made six saves for his second clean sheet of the season, per the AP, which also counted it as his 37th clean sheet in 128 career starts for Cincinnati.

Evander took four shots, drew the penalty and wore the captain's armband for a second straight game. "All the guys were good tonight and they all helped us a lot to win," he said.

Pavel Bucha played as a wingback, per the club, and supplied the assist on the opener.

The Turning Point

The penalty. At 1-0, the Red Bulls' second-half barrage is a genuine threat to steal a point, and every Celentano save carries a little more panic. At 2-0, Cincinnati could absorb all of it, clear 22 balls and let the clock work for them. The Red Bulls' 31 crosses look a lot less dangerous when you need two goals.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Red Bull New York outshot Cincinnati 19-15 and put 6 on target to Cincinnati's 5.
• Saves: Celentano made six, Horvath three.
• Crosses: The Red Bulls sent in 31 crosses and completed 12.
• Clearances: Cincinnati made 22 clearances to New York's 7.
• Possession: Nearly even, with the Red Bulls holding 51.9 percent.

What It Means

Cincinnati move to 3-3-4 with 12 points. It is their first win since March 22, per the club, and they are now unbeaten in four after draws with Toronto, Chicago and New York City FC. They did it with six regulars ruled out before kickoff, according to the club. "A nice reward for these guys and for the progress that they're making," Noonan said. After a three-match week, they get a full week off before visiting the Chicago Fire at Soldier Field next Saturday.

The Red Bulls also sit at 3-3-4 with 12 points, but the trend line points the other way. They have not won since that 4-2 win over Cincinnati, with draws at Inter Miami and against D.C. United plus a loss in Montréal before Saturday. Bradley was already looking ahead to a U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 date with New York City FC on Wednesday. "The page gets turned very quickly," he said. "Big game. Big cup match on Wednesday." FC Dallas visit next Saturday.

Closing Take

Most games where both coaches use the same cliche are boring. This one was not. Cincinnati played the first half like a band headlining its own stadium, and the Red Bulls played the second like the opener who refuses to leave the stage. In the end, the headliner got paid. Noonan's verdict was the right one: "Tale of two halves."

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by FCCincinnati.com and NewYorkRedBulls.com; additional details from the AP.