🏆 New York Red Bulls knock out reigning champions Columbus Crew

We continue with the MLS Cup Playoffs first-round action this evening, with another trio of games from around the league.

Here is what has gone down so far.

New York Red Bulls 2-2 Columbus Crew (NYRB advance on penalties)

Scorers: Vanzeir 64′, Forsberg 80′ (P) ; Arfsten 55′, Ramirez 90+7′

The Crew looked keen to pull themselves back into the series from the off, and they pushed hard for the opener in the first-half, but luck was not on their side. The reigning champs saw two shots hit the post in the matter of seconds in the dying minutes of the half.

After the break however, super-sub Max Arfsten made a major impact when he scored just minutes after entering the match to give the visitors the lead, but that advantage did not last long as the Red Bulls hit back through Dante Vanzeir less than 10 minutes later.

Red Bull Arena was brought their feet once again in the final 15 minutes when a Red Bull player was brought down in the box by veteran defender Rudy Camacho. Emil Forsberg stepped up and dispatched the spot-kick to give the hosts the lead with just over 10 minutes remaining, putting the champions on the ropes.

The Crew pushed for a leveler deep into stoppage time, and they were rewarded for their efforts when Christian Ramirez stunned the home crowd with a headed goal in the 7th minute of stoppage time to send the game to penalties.

There was more drama in the shootout. Both John Toljin and Yevhen Cheberko saw their efforts saved for their respective sides, but misses from Max Arftsen and Alexandru Mățan deep in the shootout saw the champions crash out.

The Red Bulls’ win represents the first true upset of the MLS Cup Playoffs this season.

Check back later for more updates