Donkor Strikes in Stoppage Time as New York Red Bulls Stun Columbus Crew

There were just two minutes left when Ronald Donkor showed up in the middle of the box and finished with his right foot to make it 0-1. It was the only goal of the night at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, and it was enough to send New York Red Bulls home with all three points from an MLS match in which Columbus Crew had done more to deserve the win.

The home side came out the stronger of the two. Two minutes in, Santiago Rodriguez rattled the crossbar off an assist from Steven Moreira, and on the very next play he tried again, this time meeting a headed pass from Gonzalo Tapia, only for the visiting goalkeeper to answer. Tapia had his own chance near the break too, heading over the bar from close range after a cross from Brooks Lennon. The first half ended 0-0, but it was Columbus Crew that had hit the woodwork and produced the clearer looks.

New York Red Bulls, with less of the ball (they finished with just 41.2 percent possession), stayed patient and had their own warnings: Cameron Harper also struck the crossbar in the 30th minute, and Jorge Ruvalcaba forced a good save from the home goalkeeper with a low shot from outside the box in the 25th minute. The second half followed the same back and forth script: Brais Mendez tried his luck from distance, Andre Gomes clipped the post with a long-range effort, and Julian Hall fired one just wide of the corner. None of them found the back of the net.

The late blow

With the match crying out for a decisive moment, New York Red Bulls got there through sheer persistence. Cameron Harper, who had become a key piece in the visitors' attack, set up Donkor's goal in the 88th minute, the strike that broke the deadlock just as a share of the points seemed inevitable. Columbus Crew, who had controlled much of the game, ran out of time to respond despite six minutes of stoppage time.

By the numbers

The stats reflect a Columbus Crew side that dominated the game without it showing up on the scoreboard. They had more possession, more corners and more than double the completed passes, but New York Red Bulls was sharper in the final third.

The xG generated in the match, an in-house estimate based on shots taken, also slightly favors the home side: 1.486 to 1.138 for the visitors. It's a gap that backs up the sense that Columbus Crew deserved, at the very least, not to lose.

The result also runs counter to our pre-match projection, which gave Columbus Crew a 51 percent chance of winning against just 24 percent for New York Red Bulls, with a draw estimated at 25 percent. The expected goals figures we had going into the match (1.96 for the home side against 1.31 for the visitors) didn't hold up either: the team that projected to generate less on paper walked away with all three points.

Where it leaves the standings

In the Eastern Conference, New York Red Bulls came into this match with 30 points from 25 games played, while Columbus Crew had 23 points from the same number of matches, with a record of 6 wins, 5 draws and 14 losses. The gap between the two clubs in the standings stood at 7 points before this result, and the road win only widens it. For Columbus Crew, finishing remains the missing piece: controlling the ball and hitting the crossbar doesn't count for much if it never turns into goals.