Emilio Aristizábal's Stoppage-Time Winner Lifts Toronto FC Past MLS Leaders Nashville SC 2-1

Three minutes into stoppage time at BMO Field, Dániel Sallói kept his cool in a crowded box, laid the ball off, and substitute Emilio Aristizábal hammered it home from close range. Just like that, the best team in MLS was leaving Toronto with nothing.

Toronto FC beat Nashville SC 2-1 on Wednesday night, coming from behind after an early own goal and stretching their unbeaten run to seven matches. For Nashville, the loss ended a six-match unbeaten streak, according to the AP, and it was only the third league defeat in 24 matches this season for a team that still sits first in MLS and the Eastern Conference, per its club site.

A Gift for the Leaders

Toronto's night started with a gut punch. In the third minute, Lewis Morgan, making his first start for the club, had a shot saved by Brian Schwake, and moments later Niklas Dorsch turned the ball into his own net. Dorsch was back in the lineup for the first time since a facial fracture suffered on Aug. 19, according to the AP, which made the timing extra cruel. It was also the second straight match in which Toronto conceded an own goal, after Walker Zimmerman's in Saturday's 4-4 draw with Chicago.

What followed, though, was a half in which Toronto had the better looks. Josh Sargent had a close-range header saved by Schwake in the 22nd minute, Benjamín Kuscevic forced another save with his head four minutes later, and Sargent dragged two shots just wide in the 38th and 40th minutes. At the other end, Luka Gavran stopped Elias Saad twice, once from distance in the seventh minute and again in the 32nd. Nashville took the 1-0 lead into the break mostly because Schwake was having a very good night.

Nashville Almost Doubled It

The leaders thought they had a second shortly after the restart. Toronto's site says Hany Mukhtar headed in during the 49th minute, only for the goal to be ruled out because Reed Baker-Whiting was offside in the buildup. Gavran then saved a long-range Mukhtar effort in the 55th, and Robin Fraser decided he had seen enough. In the 59th minute the Toronto coach made a triple change, sending on Nicksoen Gomis, Theo Corbeanu and Matheus Pereira.

That move changed the game. Corbeanu, who survived two injury stoppages after coming on, became the most dangerous player on the field.

The Turning Point: Corbeanu Cracks It Open

In the 72nd minute, Derrick Etienne Jr. found Corbeanu down the right, and the winger beat his man and whipped in a cross that Sallói headed into the bottom left corner. 1-1. A minute later Corbeanu nearly set him up again, but Sallói's second header drifted wide.

Nashville had their chances to restore order. Maxwell Woledzi forced Gavran into a save with a header in the 85th minute, and Sam Surridge had a shot blocked early in the six minutes of stoppage time. Then Toronto struck. Sallói controlled the ball in the center of the box and set up Aristizábal, who had replaced Sargent in the 75th minute, and the substitute drilled a right-footed finish down the middle. Toronto's club also credited Richie Laryea, whose cross started the move, with an assist, his 20th in MLS for TFC.

Nashville's last swing came in the sixth minute of added time, when Woledzi glanced a header off a Mukhtar corner just wide. Gavran was booked a minute later, and the whistle went shortly after.

Who Delivered

Dániel Sallói scored the equalizer and set up the winner. Per Toronto, that gives him a team-leading 16 goal contributions this season (seven goals, nine assists), and he has now recorded a goal or assist in six consecutive MLS matches. That is a heater, plain and simple.

Theo Corbeanu changed the night off the bench. His cross for the equalizer was his fifth MLS assist for Toronto, according to the club, and he set up another chance a minute later.

Emilio Aristizábal needed only two shots in about 20 minutes, and one of them won the game. The club says it was his fourth goal of the 2026 MLS season.

Brian Schwake made five saves and was named Nashville's Man of the Match by the club. Without him this is not a one-goal game at halftime.

Luka Gavran matched him with five saves of his own, including the two first-half stops on Saad that kept Toronto within reach.

Stats That Matter

• Possession: Nashville 57.9 percent, Toronto 42.1 percent.
• Shots on target: Toronto 7, Nashville 5, with Toronto attempting 16 shots to Nashville's 11.
• Saves: Five apiece for Gavran and Schwake.
• Offside: Nashville were flagged six times; Toronto once.
• Clearances: Toronto 25, Nashville 11, a sign of how much pressure the hosts absorbed.

What It Means

Toronto move to 6-11-7 with 29 points. Their unbeaten run now covers seven matches since July 31, with three wins and four draws, and the AP noted it was Toronto's first win over Nashville since Sept. 18, 2021. Next up is a Saturday trip to Orlando City SC.

Nashville fall to 16-5-3 with 53 points, still first in the league, but the loss snapped their six-match unbeaten run and came in the middle of three road matches in eight days. The trip ends Saturday at Inter Miami CF.

There were milestones in defeat for the visitors. According to the club, Mukhtar, Nashville's all-time leader in goals and assists, made his 200th career MLS start counting regular season and playoffs, and Jack Maher made his 150th career regular-season appearance for Nashville.

Closing Take

Nashville have spent most of the season looking like the final boss of MLS. On Wednesday, Toronto pulled off the M. Night Shyamalan ending: down for 69 minutes, level in the 72nd, winning in the 93rd. The Supporters' Shield race is not over, but the leaders just learned that BMO Field can still bite.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Match notes from the AP recap via ESPN, torontofc.ca and nashvillesc.com; neither club published postgame quotes.