Tonight the CONCACAF Champions League continues with the second leg of the quarterfinal round. The highlight is the Toluca-Columbus match, which I am liveblogging right now. I haven't done this in a while, but it's kind of like riding a bicycle.
Toluca 3-2 Columbus F (5-4 aggregate)
Commentary after the jump.
It's been the best performance by a MLS team in Mexico since the Houston Dynamo in 2007, but a valiant Crew effort falls short to a determined and physical Toluca side. Two Sinha free kicks made the difference in the series. Toluca will play Pachuca in the semifinals, while Columbus will turn their attention to the new MLS season which starts next weekend...or will it?
Thanks for following along tonight. It's been fun doing this again!
1901: FULL TIME Toluca 3-2 Columbus Crew
(Toluca win 5-4 on aggregate)
1900: Not much time left now...
1900: Sinha exits the field to a thunderous ovation. His presence has been felt tonight.
1856: Schelotto is fading a bit, but Renteria is still battling hard. Four minutes of stoppage time.
1852: Sinha makes a great run through the middle and forces Crew defenders to commit. He pushes out wide to Calderón, and his curling shot...hits the far post! Columbus survive!
1851: Mancilla had a chance to wrap up the tie for Toluca, but his low shot was well saved by Hesmer.
1849: There are chances available for Columbus. Ekpo made a strong run down the left flank and turned in a good cross, but no Lenhart means no danger for the Toluca centerbacks. Hejduk comes off for Garey with six minutes left.
1846: The match had become more physical over the last 15 minutes. I don't know what Lenhart did and the local director hasn't shown any replays, but the Crew are now down to ten men for the final ten minutes.
1845: RED CARD Columbus 80'
Something happened off the ball, and Steven Lenhart is shown a direct red by the referee.
1844: Toluca are trying to muscle the Crew around, and they're holding firm. And Renteria lets rip a shot from 40 yards out that just misses the far post! Twelve minutes left.
1840: But now the series will be decided in regulation time. If Columbus score another goal, they would go through.
1840: Those set-pieces that the Crew are giving up are killers.
1838: GOAL Toluca 3-2 Columbus 72' (5-4 agg)
Almost immediately Toluca surge forward and win a free kick 10 yards outside the area, and Sinha curls another perfect free kick into the far corner of the net. Golazo.
1836: GOAL Toluca 2-2 Columbus 71' (4-4 agg)
There's the gap!! A gorgeous counterattack by the Crew on the left side -- O'Rourke makes a fantastic run down the channel, and sends in a cross that sets off alarm sirens in the Toluca backline. Talavera swipes at it, Lenhart connects to the ball and hits the post, and Schelotto is trailing behind to turn the ball into the net.
1835: Nevertheless, the gaps are there - on both sides.
1831: For a side that is a goal down with 25 minutes left, I'm liking the way the Crew are playing. They are somewhat composed in the back, and they are attempting to play possession soccer. But the conditions and the competition are creating problems.
1825: Crew defense leaving too much space for the Toluca strikers. Brunner makes a scrambling recovery to deny a third Red Devil goal.
1823: GOAL Toluca 2-1 Columbus 57' (4-3 aggregate)
Sinha is a handful, and a surging run toward the top of the penalty area sees him dragged down by Carroll. He dusts himself off and curls a free kick over the wall, onto the underside of the post, and over the goal line.
1821: Again, the history of MLS teams in Mexico during CONCACAF tournaments is not a good one. Out of nineteen matches, only the Dynamo and DC United have recorded draws (both lost their series). You have to go back to the old Champions Cup for the last time a MLS side won a series against a Mexican team.
1816: Well, now the Crew must score. Another goal will force at least extra time; two goals will decide the series in regulation time.
1814: I said at the end of the first half that Columbus could not concede a goal, but this is just as bad. De La Torre put a fire under his players' tails during the halftime talk, and it showed in the opening minutes.
1813: GOAL Toluca 1-1 Columbus 47' (3-3 aggregate)
Héctor Mancilla converts from the spot, and Toluca are back in front in the tie.
1813: Gaven called for bringing down Sinha in the box. It looked questionable to me...
1812: PENALTY TO TOLUCA
1812: And Toluca impose their play almost immediately. Sinha is so hard for the Columbus players to handle.
1811: Second half has started in Toluca.
1810: Teams are back out for the second half. Moments away from the restart whistle. Paul Ward of Canada is tonight's referee and has handed out four yellows, two to each team.
Toluca had most of the possession and chances in the first half, including two strikes against the woodwork. Columbus weathered all of that without conceding, and grabbed a vital goal of their own through Schelotto at the penalty spot. What did I say about Schelotto being a valuable asset in high-pressure situations such as these? A dramatic and compelling second half awaits!
1756: HALFTIME Toluca 0-1 Columbus (2-3 aggregate)
1756: Toluca come back and try to get back into the match through Sinha, but his fall in the box is not met with a penalty.
1754: GOAL Toluca 0-1 Columbus (45+2')
Guillermo Barros Schelotto takes a short approach, and fires hard and high into the net. Schelotto bumps into Talavera in response to the gamesmanship shown to him, and picks up a yellow card for his trouble.
1753: Clear handball by Dueñas in the box, and Schelotto will take the penalty to try to give Columbus the lead.
1752: PENALTY TO COLUMBUS
1751: And just as I said that, Toluca won a corner kick. The resulting strike finds a Toluca player's head, but it goes over the bar. Columbus go the other way, and Schelotto battles and battles for the ball in the box, wins it, cuts a ball across the goal area, and it's cleared away by Gonzalez for a corner.
1750: Three minutes to go before halftime. Columbus must not concede a goal.
1745: And another long-range effort by Sinha forces Hesmer low into a save.
1743: We're a little more than 35 minutes into the match. I walked in just in time to see Mancilla crash his long-range shot onto the crossbar - the second time that's happened according to the commentators. And from looking at the replay, Columbus are very lucky that the goal was not allowed!
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