Griezmann's free kick stunner leads Orlando City comeback past Columbus Crew 3-2

The clock had barely started when Orlando City was already celebrating. Within seconds, Harvey Sarajian finished with his right foot from the center of the box, set up by Antoine Griezmann, and Inter&Co Stadium erupted before the match had even taken shape. Columbus Crew answered almost immediately: in the 6th minute, Taha Habroune leveled things with a shot down the middle of the goal off an assist from Santiago Rodriguez. What followed was a back and forth affair that ended 3-2 for Orlando City in MLS play, one of those games where the scoreboard moved in bursts rather than through clear control by either side.

The home side went back in front in the 15th minute, and this time with a touch of class: Griezmann curled a direct free kick with his left foot into the top corner, leaving the opposing goalkeeper with no chance. That 2-1 scoreline held through halftime, though not without a few scares, as Columbus created several clear chances late in the first half, with shots from Josef Martinez and Santiago Rodriguez either blocked by the defense or clipping the crossbar.

The second half opened with Orlando City hitting the crossbar through Marco Pasalic, but the match leveled out again in a hurry. In the 52nd minute, Brais Mendez finished with his left foot from point blank range, just inside the post, off a through ball from Habroune, making it 2-2. From there the game turned into a battle of shots: Columbus kept pushing through Gonzalo Tapia, who rattled the post with one attempt, and through a string of corner kicks that never quite turned into goals. Orlando, for its part, bided its time and found its moment at the worst possible point for the visitors: in the 88th minute, Ivan Angulo finished with his left foot from the center of the box after a Martin Ojeda assist on a quick counterattack, sealing the 3-2 final that would not change again.

What the numbers say

The scoreline might suggest an even contest, but the stats tell a different story: Columbus Crew had more possession, more shots and more clear-cut chances, though none of that was enough to secure all three points.

Our own expected goals estimate for the match backs up that impression: Columbus Crew finished with 3.86 xG compared to 2.48 for Orlando City. In other words, the visitors built more and better scoring chances, but Orlando's efficiency at the right moments, a Griezmann free kick and a counterattack finished off by Angulo, ended up tipping the scales.

That gap also stands in contrast to what was projected before kickoff: our preview gave Orlando City a 42% chance of winning, 24% for a draw and 34% for Columbus Crew, with expected goals of 1.9 for the home side and 1.7 for the visitors, a combined total of 3.59. The match ended with five goals total, more than projected, and while the result favored the side tagged as the favorite in that projection, it got there by a far bumpier road than expected, with Columbus arguably deserving more than the final score reflected.

What the result means

For Orlando City, which came into this match in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with 37 points from 28 games played, the win papers over a shaky defensive outing (conceding twice despite winning) but adds three valuable points. Columbus Crew, 13th with 29 points from 28 matches, is left with the feeling of having created far more than the result ended up showing. The eight-point gap between the two sides in the standings remains unchanged, but the match made clear that, at least on the field, the distance was much smaller than the table suggests.