Antoine Griezmann's Goal Lifts Orlando City Past San Diego FC 1-0 in First Meeting

Antoine Griezmann only arrived in Orlando this summer, and he already has a celebration problem. As in, he is scoring so often that he and his teenage strike partner are running out of new ones.

Griezmann's 28th-minute finish gave Orlando City SC a 1-0 win over San Diego FC on Saturday night at Inter&Co Stadium, in the first-ever meeting between the clubs. Maxime Crépeau and the Orlando back line handled the rest, surviving a late San Diego shot off the post and nine minutes of stoppage time to lock up three points.

Ellis Finds Griezmann, Again

Orlando started sharp. Justin Ellis had two looks from the center of the box in the fourth minute, one blocked and one just wide, and Griezmann forced CJ dos Santos into a save from outside the box in the seventh. San Diego settled into its passing rhythm after that, and its best early chance came in the 22nd minute, when Anders Dreyer, set up by Gabriel Pirani, forced a save from Crépeau from the right side of the box.

The goal arrived in the 28th minute. The move, as Orlando tells it, started with Daryl Dike finding Ellis in the area. Ellis squared it, and Griezmann needed one touch to set himself before beating dos Santos low to the bottom left corner with his right foot. ESPN credits Ellis with the assist; Orlando's own scoring summary also lists Dike, whose secondary assist was his first since rejoining the club on July 17.

The rest of the half was a grind. San Diego kept the ball, Dreyer was flagged offside, and Aníbal Godoy sent the visitors' last first-half chance high and wide in stoppage time.

San Diego Push, Orlando Hold

The second half followed the same script, only with more urgency from the visitors. Orlando brought on Martín Ojeda for Bernardo Rhein Goncalves in the 51st minute, and Ojeda forced a save from dos Santos from distance in the 59th. San Diego answered with a triple change in the 62nd, sending on Dagur Thórhallsson, Christopher McVey and Amahl Pellegrino after an injury stoppage for Alejandro Alvarado Jr., who was among those replaced.

The Lions had chances to put it away. Iván Angulo had a shot from the six-yard box blocked in the 72nd, Marco Pasalic had two efforts blocked off the bench, and dos Santos denied Griezmann from point-blank range in the 87th. A minute later, Wilder Cartagena smashed a shot off the crossbar after a corner.

Then came the scare. Nine minutes of added time went up, and in the 92nd minute, Dreyer whipped a left-footed shot from outside the box off the right post. Ellis admitted afterward that it was about the only thing San Diego really created. Crépeau saved from Elias Achouri in the 100th minute, and that was that.

The Frenchman and the Kid

Antoine Griezmann put all three of his shots on target and scored the winner. Orlando says the goal gave him six goal contributions over the club's last four matches, four goals and two assists. MLS notes that Orlando are now unbeaten in five matches across all competitions when the 2018 World Cup winner scores, with four wins and a draw.

Justin Ellis collected his ninth assist of the season, one behind team leader Angulo, according to the club. The 19-year-old homegrown, per MLS, has assisted three of Griezmann's five goals this season, and the chemistry is obvious.

"Every single time I pass him the ball, I have a feeling like he can do something," Ellis said. "So that's why I'm always looking for him, and it was a nice finish."

His interim head coach, Martín Perelman, was more impressed with the other side of the ball. "His defensive game today, for me, was amazing," Perelman said. "I think this is important for him because he's completing his profile as a player."

Maxime Crépeau made two saves and recorded his third shutout of the season, per the club. CJ dos Santos made three saves at the other end, including the stop on Griezmann that kept San Diego alive into stoppage time.

The Post That Stayed a Post

The turning point came in the 92nd minute. San Diego had controlled more of the ball all night and finally carved out a real look. Dreyer's shot from distance hit the right post. A few inches inside and the night ends level. Instead, Orlando got the clean sheet and the three points.

"We started the game confident with the ball," Crépeau said. "The group was very disciplined tactically and with the ball. We saw tonight what it is going to take for the next two months of the season."

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Orlando 15, San Diego 7. On target: Orlando 5, San Diego 2.
• Possession: San Diego 53.4 percent, Orlando 46.6 percent.
• Passing: San Diego completed 502 of 553 passes; Orlando completed 418 of 480.
• Woodwork: One each, Cartagena's crossbar and Dreyer's post.
• Saves: dos Santos 3, Crépeau 2.

Climbing the East

Orlando moved to 8-4-11 with 28 points. MLS put the Lions eighth in the Eastern Conference after the win, on a three-match unbeaten run, and noted they sat 12th before Griezmann arrived. Crépeau set the target plainly: "This is how we need to play for the next two months, and we will be above that little red line at the end if we keep going like this." Up next is a Wednesday trip to rival Atlanta United.

San Diego fell to 8-6-9 with 30 points. Coming off a 3-1 home win over the LA Galaxy, the visitors had more of the ball and a better passing night but just two shots on target. They return home Wednesday to face the San Jose Earthquakes.

Running Out of Dances

The best detail of the night came from Ellis, explaining the goal celebrations he and Griezmann have been rolling out.

"Against San Jose, we did the Hotline Bling. Last game, we did take the L, and then this one was the One Piece," Ellis said. "I think those are his three signatures. So, now we have to come up with another one."

Drake, Fortnite and an anime, all in three games. If Griezmann keeps scoring at this rate, Orlando are going to need a choreographer on staff. San Diego, meanwhile, will be hoping it does not have to watch the next routine.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes and match notes as reported by Orlando City SC (orlandocitysc.com) and MLSsoccer.com.