The king of group East 1 has been crowned with a crazy comeback!
From being down 2-0 late in the second half, FC Cincinnati scored four goals in the span of ten minutes to stun New York City FC, winning the group with the most stunning come-from-behind victory thus far in the 2024 Leagues Cup.
The home side jumped out on the front foot as the back-and-forth battle for group East 1 supremacy began with vibrant energy but couldn’t find the finishing product they would later on. In a heavily rotated squad, Gerardo Valenzuela caught the eye early by finding opportunities for Cincinnati in attack before smashing an attempted full-volley off the post from a corner kick.
New York City needed an answer.
In the 25th minute, Santiago Rodríguez provided that response by scoring with NYCFC’s first shot of the match. Receiving a direct pass from goalkeeper Paul Walters, Julián Fernández found space on the right flank to approach the NYCFC penalty area, squaring the ball to veteran attacking midfielder Maxi Moralez who shifted the ball along to Rodríguez for the finish.
Apparently, the goal was the spark NYCFC required as they took hold of the first half from then on, often with the same pattern of play that saw them score. By the end of the half, the Pigeons would have been disappointed not to have extended their lead with a further eight shots, four on target, including two big chances missed.
Of course, Walters deserves his credit too. The 20-year-old homegrown goalkeeper was forced into four impressive saves to keep Cincinnati within a goal, all from inside the box and all requiring a diving stop.
Clearly unhappy with his team’s defending, head coach Pat Noonan substituted two of his three central defenders at halftime which didn’t have the immediate intended effect as Walters was asked to make another necessary save within the first minute of the second half — which he again obliged.
Unfortunately, all good things come to an end.
The next time Walters was called upon, he spilled his save to the feet of Serbian youth international striker Jovan Mijatović who smashed the first-time finish into the roof of the net, doubling the lead with his first NYCFC goal since joining the club for an initial $8.6m transfer fee in the winter.
Down 2-0, the reigning Supporters’ Shield winners were not going down without a fight.
In the 79th minute, second-half substitute Pavel Bucha received the ball near the top of NYCFC’s box, cut back against the grain, and slotted his finish inside the near post to halve the deficit. Three minutes later, fellow substitute Yamil Asad ran from his own half into a similar position as Bucha, slotting his finish inside the far post instead to level the scoring.
“The momentum we got from Pavel [Bucha]’s goal spurred on that last stretch,” analyzed Nooned. “Guys were just ready to come in and perform and give us a moment to get us back into the game. That was the moment.”
Noonan’s attacking substitution masterclass was just getting started.
Four minutes later, Yuya Kubo also turned at the top of the NYCFC box, smashing his finish past Walters to complete the comeback and give Cincinnati the 3-2 lead. Pure limbs at the Teek ensued.
As if they needed more to celebrate, the last of Noonan’s four attacking substitutions had to get on the scoresheet with Cincinnati’s fourth goal in ten minutes to put an exclamation mark on an incredible comeback victory. To add the cherry on top too, Santos celebrated the goal by getting down on one knee to celebrate his engagement to his now fiancé after proposing yesterday.
“Winning for the confidence of the group is important,” Noonan shared. “Winning comes in a lot of different formas and it’s always good to see we can be down multiple goals and still be in a game.”
With the win to secure the top spot in the group, FC Cincinnati earned the right to host Club Santos Laguna at TQL Stadium in the Round of 32 on August 9th.
