It started as New England Revolution’s 1000th match gone-wrong: they were 2-0 down to Mexican side Atlas within 11 minutes of play after Mateo Garcia and Jordy Caicedo got on the scoresheet early on. However, it was the Revs’ own Argentine number 7 who made the difference in the second half with a brace to take the round of 32 tie to penalties - won 7-8 by the MLS outfit.
Bou struck in the 30th minute, receiving an accurately placed low square ball across the box from Carles Gil, taking one touch, and blasting it into the back of the net. We had to wait until the 79th minute for the second which resulted from a penalty kick rebound. He stepped up and directed the ball almost straight at Vargas, but the Colombian’s save saw the ball drop again in front of Bou for a second bite of the cherry, to which the Argentine gladly dispatched to level the game for New England.
That was not the last piece of action for Bou, who was called upon in the penalty shootout to dispatch another penalty. This time, conscious that he would not be afforded the luxury of another rebound, the Argentine buried the ball past Vargas’s right side for New England’s fifth penalty. The MLS side won the penalty shootout eight goals to seven, and will face another Mexican side in Querétaro in the round of 16.
