ORLANDO — The Columbus Crew fought their way back into Saturday night’s match twice.
They could not do it a third time.
Iván Angulo scored in the 89th minute to give Orlando City a 3-2 victory over Columbus, snapping the Crew’s two-match MLS winning streak and dealing another blow to their late-season playoff push.
Orlando wasted almost no time taking control. Harvey Sarajian scored less than a minute into the match, finishing a chance created by Antoine Griezmann and Angulo to give the Lions a 1-0 lead.
Columbus answered quickly.
Taha Habroune finished from the center of the box in the eighth minute after a buildup involving Santiago Rodríguez and Mohamed Farsi, leveling the match at 1-1. But Orlando reclaimed the lead just eight minutes later when Griezmann scored directly from a free kick to make it 2-1.
The Crew went into halftime trailing by one but came out aggressively after the break. Columbus created a string of chances in the opening minutes of the second half before Brais Méndez finally broke through in the 53rd minute.
Méndez finished with his left foot after assists from Habroune and Rodríguez, tying the match at 2-2 and giving Columbus more than half an hour to find a winner.
For stretches, it looked possible.
The Crew continued to create chances, and Gonzalo Tapia came especially close late. He hit the post from outside the box in the 82nd minute and forced Maxime Crépeau into another save in the 89th.
Then Orlando struck.
Martín Ojeda found Angulo in the center of the box, and Angulo finished into the bottom-right corner in the 89th minute to put the Lions back in front for good.
Columbus had one final opportunity deep into stoppage time, but André Gomes’ shot from outside the box was saved by Crépeau, ending the Crew’s comeback attempt.
The loss leaves Columbus at 8-15-5 with 29 points through 28 matches. The Crew entered the night four points outside the Eastern Conference playoff line, and with only six league matches remaining, opportunities to make up that ground are disappearing quickly.
Saturday was especially frustrating because Columbus showed enough offensively to get something from the match. The Crew scored twice, created several second-half chances, and repeatedly forced Crépeau into action.
But after back-to-back wins had finally generated some momentum before the international break, Columbus leaves Orlando empty-handed.
What’s Next
The Crew return home Wednesday to face Charlotte FC at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
