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Enderbear 3: 2 when lions break off the cup, the Mähneland

Enderbear 3: 2 when lions break off the cup, the Mähneland

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Orlando City took over an early lead, gave up a few bad goals in the first half and then received a late game winner with a 3-2 defeat against Nashville SC in the US Open Cup Play at the Inter & Co Stadium. Head coach Oscar Pareja made a strong line -up while the visitors turned strongly, and the fresher legs won despite the trip.

Marco Pasalic delivered an early lead in front of his own goal on Rodrigo Schlegel and an Ahmed Qasem goal brought Nashville into the break. Ramiro Enrique balanced in the second half, but Orlando finally thrown an explosion from the full -back Wyatt Meyer. Nashville did it without Star striker Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge or Start goalkeeper Joe Willis.

“I think it was a good game for two teams who have an offensive proposal or an initiative,” said Pareja after the game. “I think that we found a team early in the game that wanted to use the rooms offensive, and we didn't find a team that wants to fall, and I have to say that they did a good job in this part. So we played the first half lower than we wanted, and despite our goal, our offensive was not as common as we wanted.”

For this round of the 16th Matchup, Pareja made almost a complete list of the first choice, with Pedro Gallese behind a background of David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Schlegel and Alex Freeman in goal. Cesar Araujo and Joran Gerbet started in the central midfield with the attacks midfielder Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Martin Ojeda and Pasalic with Enrique Up Top.

At the beginning of the game it was easy to see which was the fresher team. Nashville turned his line -up heavily and had more jump in the first few minutes. Orlando was nevertheless able to create some transitional options and earned a few early corners, but the lions couldn't do anything with them. The closest opportunity was a header over the Schlegel bar on the second opportunity.

Nashville had a warning shot in the 16th minute when a corner fate was distracted in front of Galler's goal and dismissed from the right post.

Orlando opened the score a minute later. Pasalic cut into the right side and hit a shot from a distance of 30 meters that Brian Schwake gave no chance to stop him, and the Lions increased 1-0 in the 17th minute. It was the first US Open Cup goal of the Croatian US cup in his first appearance in the competition.

“Sometimes it is better to shoot faster, because maybe the goalkeeper is not prepared,” said Pasalic about his long -term bomb. “So today was my chance.”

The celebration was short -term when Nashville connected the game just six minutes later. Ahmed Qasem went past Brekalo and Jansson and centered a ball for Bunbury, who hid against Schlegel. The ball, which may have been over the final line in front of the cross (there is no video check in the US Open Cup), was distracted directly across the line for its own goal and the game was brought together in the 23rd minute.

“We started well in the game, played really well. The tactic was really good and then came the first goal,” said Pasalic. “Then we granted the goal of Nashville very quickly, and that was a big problem.”

Freeman had the chance to imitate Pasalic's destination in the 30th minute, only from a little closer to the gate at the top of the box. The right back did not get his hips enough on the shot and sent it far from the goal.

The visitors took over an embarrassing goal in the 40th minute. Qasem was not in a particularly threatening position that was 25 meters from the goal from the left, but when Araujo ignored him and let him in space, he sent a shot from a distance that didn't have much pace on it, and Schlegel decided not to block. The shot found somehow diagonally and within the right post through the box to make it 2-1.

Schlegel had the late opportunity to compensate for some defensive mistakes late in half when Orlando won a corner. The defender did well to survive his brand, but he led his shot in the 45 -minute minute.

Enrique sent another header from a corner in added time and the Lions went into the break and drove two of the more avoidable goals that they admitted all season.

Nashville kept the half-time edge in possession (57.5%-42.5%) and the accuracy (88%-85%), while Orlando led in shots (8-4) and corners (6-2). Each team put a shot on the frame.

Orlando tried to bind the match directly from the break and sent Freeman a ball over it. The full -back felt and fired it, but his shot was far on the right post in the 46th minute. The Lions scored at their next shot. Freeman opened the game in the middle of the field and made a nice passport for Pasalic, which slipped in a perfect ball for Enrique. Enrique ended his shot by Schwake in the 58th minute to bind the game 2-2.

Orlando had the chance to take the lead just two minutes later when Brekalo made a fantastic passport to send Pasalic down to the right. The Croatian tried to cut a pass back into the middle, where Thorhallson and Enrique took races, but the attempt was directly behind both, and Nashville cleared the danger.

Pasalic went for his brackets in the 63rd minute and shot a shot in the box that lay over the crossbar.

Ten minutes later, the lions – vehemently – had the feeling that they had a punishment. What seemed to be a clear handball in the box was released by referee Joshua Encarnacion. Orlando City's players protested without success, and it was a piece that weighed strongly after the game on Pareja's opinion because the play could have been a big difference in a tie.

“I hate saying that, but the (lack of A) PK was incredible,” said Pareja. “We checked it and it is impossible that a referee cannot see this handball. This is a tournament in which we invest. This is a tournament that we take seriously. It is a tournament that our club wanted to be well represented. Something that is so clear.”

Five minutes after the NO-Call in Orlando's end of the attack, there was a no-call in the defensive end of the lions when Freeman seemed to be fouled directly in front of his defense area. Encarnacion allowed the game when Nashville regained the loose ball in the left corner and sent it over the goal of the goal. Qasem raised it in the right corner, Muskled his way free from Sub Ivan Angulo in the second half and went to Patrick Yazbek right on the top of the box. Yazbek had the traffic in front of him, so he sent a Backheel -Drop Pass to Meyer, who could be laser directly into the right post when it turned out that it turned out to be a game winner.

“I think we had the game under control,” said Pasalic. “We don't pay attention to (Nashville gets the goal and happiness. We missed luck in the end. And I think it hurts a lot.”

“Today the game showed us that we have to be on our toes all the time,” said Pareja. “When you see that something is repaired and something is good and the game reveals it in this way. It only tells us that we have to go on.”

The replacement of Luis Muriel distributed a shot directly on the left post in the 84th minute when Nashville dropped his block deep to protect the lead. The effort was good, but Schwake had covered it if it had been on the frame.

Pareja sent Duncan McGuire and Rafael Santos to add more attacking players. Moments later, Angulo sent a cross into the box to be a visibly strenuous freeman. The cross was a little behind the full -back, who still managed to get his head, but couldn't create enough strength in the 86th minute to beat Schwake. Two minutes later, Pasalic put the ball on his left foot again and blew up another shot over the bar.

Orlando City had seven minutes of interruption time to score a goal to stay in the tournament, but the Lions couldn't even score a chance.

The lions had the possession of the ownership (51.5%-48.5%), shots (15-7), corners (8-4) and the transfer accuracy (86.5%-85%). Both teams have set three shots on the goal, and the lack of precision was one of the reasons why Orlando City is out of the tournament.

Although Nashville had traveled, he looked fresher, especially down the route. Araujo and Ojeda looked tired before the first half ended, and Freeman watched the route. But Pareja and Pasalic did not use tired legs as an excuse. Pareja said he wanted to keep the defensive solidity of the last games while turning a little during the attack. He also said that some injuries prevented him from turning more because Eduard Atuesta was not yet available in training.

“I think we played the game well,” said Pareja. “We should have more energy at the beginning of the second half. I thought the boys started this energy, but we didn't keep it.”

It will be another short turnaround for Orlando City because the regular season of the team will be back at home against Portland Timbers on Saturday.

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