Two penalties in extra time. Two deficits erased. A back-and-forth game with multiple scrums, a hand on a throat and a coach red-carded. Multiple players hit in the face by objects thrown from the stands. One hundred and thirty minutes of madness.
In the end, the difference was that Christian Pulisic stood up and buried a cold-blooded, extra-time penalty into the upper corner, and U.S. backup goalkeeper Ethan Horvath, called upon when starter Zack Steffen went down with an injury in the 69th minute, saved Andrés Guardado’s penalty 10 minutes later.
Pulisic’s penalty and Horvath’s save lifted the U.S. to a thrilling 3-2 win over Mexico in the inaugural CONCACAF Nations League final.
Pulisic stepped up to the penalty spot with seemingly everything on the line in the 114th minute. The winger had drawn a penalty — after a VAR review — in the 108th minute. Pulisic left no doubt.
The 22-year-old Champions League winner buried his penalty into the upper corner.
It was jubilation. But Mexico would get a chance to equalize when the ball hit U.S. defender Mark McKenzie in the hand in the 119th minute. A VAR review awarded the penalty. Horvath, though, was the hero, diving to his right to save Guardado’s effort.
With that, the youngest ever U.S. men’s national team to play in a final passed its first major test. It was a huge result, especially considering the way the Americans survived a first half against a Mexico team that had the better of play through the first 45 minutes.
The U.S. found far more of the game in the second half.
A formation switch helped things, as the U.S. moved to a four-man back line that seemed to steady things defensively — at least for a little while. In the early portion of the second half, the U.S. were the more dangerous team and finally started to create some chances.
Horvath, from Highlands Ranch, Colo., about a half-hour drive from the stadium, entered in the second half in the 69th minute after Steffen went down with a left knee injury. Steffen was not touched on the play, which causes huge concern for the U.S., which has an unusually thin depth chart at what has typically been a position of strength.
Mexico took a second-half lead in the 79th minute when Diego Lainez easily beat left back Tim Ream with a cut inside and scored inside the near post to give El Tri the lead. But, as they did in the first half, the U.S. again found an equalizer.
This time, Weston McKennie’s header on a set piece found the back of the net as he rose up to meet a Gio Reyna corner kick in the 82nd minute.
Horvath made a huge save to keep things level in the 90th minute, and it was enough to get the game to extra time.
The U.S. were lucky to get to halftime with the score tied at 1-1. Mexico was on the front foot from the opening whistle, and looked like they were going to turn the game into a blowout.
It took just 90 seconds for El Tri to take the lead when Mark McKenzie made a huge mistake in the back, turning the ball over to Jesús “Tecatito” Corona, who made no mistake and fired a shot over Steffen’s head from close range. Mexico looked to have doubled the lead in the 25th minute when Héctor Moreno got free on the back post for a wide open header, but the goal was overturned for offside after a video review.
That VAR decision turned out to be a pretty big one. Reyna equalized just two minutes later when he tucked away the rebound from a McKennie header and it gave the U.S. life.
The Link LonkJune 07, 2021 at 11:40AM
https://theathletic.com/news/christian-pulisic-ethan-horvath-send-usmnt-to-nations-league-title-over-mexico/lTz0coNuY0vg
Christian Pulisic, Ethan Horvath send USMNT to Nations League title over Mexico - The Athletic
https://news.google.com/search?q=Send&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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