HOUSTON — FC Cincinnati waited until the final moments Saturday night to complete a comeback that began looking increasingly inevitable nearly 40 minutes earlier.
Kévin Denkey converted a penalty during the seventh minute of stoppage time, completing Cincinnati’s rally from two goals down and securing a 2-2 draw against Houston Dynamo FC at Shell Energy Stadium.
The Orange and Blue improved to 8-8-9 with 33 points after dominating the second half but nearly leaving Houston with nothing to show for it.
Houston opened the scoring during the 38th minute after Samuel Gidi fouled Lawrence Ennali just outside the penalty area. Guilherme stepped forward and drove the resulting free kick past Roman Celentano, giving the Dynamo a 1-0 halftime lead.
Things became worse for Cincinnati almost immediately after the break. Kenji Mboma Dem fouled Agustín Bouzat inside the box, and Mateusz Bogusz converted the penalty during the 51st minute to double Houston’s advantage.
FC Cincinnati responded by making three substitutions during the 54th minute, bringing on Teenage Hadebe, Tom Barlow and Bryan Ramírez. The changes helped turn the remainder of the match into an Orange and Blue assault.
Hadebe forced Jonathan Bond into a save with a header during the 58th minute. Denkey then had consecutive attempts stopped two minutes later before Barlow tested Bond again. Gidi struck the crossbar during the 62nd minute as Cincinnati continued pouring forward.
The breakthrough finally arrived during the 73rd minute.
Mboma Dem played the ball into Evander, who drove toward the end line and cut it back to Denkey. Denkey redirected it toward Ramírez, who finished from close range to cut Houston’s lead to 2-1.
Cincinnati continued attacking. Denkey had another shot blocked, Gerardo Valenzuela’s header was turned away and Ramírez sent an attempt over the crossbar during the closing minutes.
The pressure finally paid off deep into stoppage time.
Bogusz fouled Mboma Dem inside the penalty area, giving Cincinnati one final opportunity. Denkey calmly sent the penalty past Bond during the 97th minute, turning what appeared destined to become a frustrating loss into a valuable road point.
FC Cincinnati finished with 25 shots to Houston’s seven, placed eight attempts on target and held 57.8 percent of the possession. Bond made six saves for the Dynamo, while Celentano did not record one despite conceding twice.
Saturday marked Cincinnati’s fifth stoppage-time equalizer of the season. It was also the third time this year that the Orange and Blue earned a draw after trailing by two goals during the second half.
Denkey finished with a goal and an assist, giving him three goals over his past two matches. He also recorded his 45th goal contribution for FC Cincinnati, passing Emmanuel Ledesma for fifth in club history.
Nick Hagglund made his 150th start for Cincinnati across all competitions, becoming the first field player in club history to reach the milestone.
Falling behind by two goals was hardly the plan. Producing 25 shots and requiring a penalty during the 97th minute to escape with a draw was not particularly efficient, either.
But as has been the case many times this season, Cincinnati refused to quit and Denkey delivered when there was no time left to waste.
What’s Next: FC Cincinnati continues its three-match road trip against CF Montréal on Saturday, September 26. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
