Roland Lamah took Kenny Saief's line-breaking pass and drove in a shocking finish four minutes from full time, lifting FC Cincinnati to a 1-1 draw and their first-ever point in MLS Sunday at the home of defending MLS Cup champions Atlanta United.
Lamah's strike came 81 minutes after Josef Martinez had opened the scoring for the hosts, appearing to pave the way for a signature Atlanta onslaught. But while the dominance in possession continued, no more goals followed, allowing Cincy a window back into the match.
They almost took it earlier in the second half when Fanendo Adi's header found the back of the net, only to be ruled offside. A Video Review confirmed the call.
No such replay was needed however on Lamah's equalizer, after he ran into the path of Saief's perfectly weighted diagonal ball and drove a firm, left-footed strike beyond Brad Guzan.
Goals
Three Things
THE BIG PICTURE:
Any doubts of whether Cincinnati are capable of earning tough results at this level should be erased. After struggling to cope with the
Seattle Sounders
throughout their
Week 1 defeat
, coach Alan Koch's side was much improved in its response to Martinez's opener. That would've been true even without the late equalizer, but now MLS's newest team heads into next weekend's home opener with a boatload of momentum.
Up Next
- ATL: Wednesday, March 13 vs. Monterrey, Leg 2 of CCL quarterfinals (8 pm ET | UDN, YahooSports.com)
- CIN: Sunday, March 17 vs. Portland Timbers (5 pm ET | FS1, MLS LIVE on DAZN)
