In an exhilarating match in Orlando, Cincinnati proved their prowess with a narrow 2-1 victory over the home team on Saturday night. The star of the show, Evander, found the back of the net twice, marking his second consecutive game with a brace. These goals played a crucial role in extending Cincinnati’s impressive streak on the road.
Cincinnati’s victory marked its third consecutive away win and their seventh out of 10 attempts this season. With this victory, they added to their tally, reinforcing their standing as the top-performing away team in the league with 22 points earned outside their home ground since 2023, boasting a remarkable 25 wins.
Despite entering with a two-game winning streak and triumphing in five of their last seven matches, Orlando couldn’t maintain their momentum. The breakthrough came in first-half stoppage time when Evander’s clever free kick slipped past the Orlando goalkeeper, Pedro Gallese, who was initially leaning the wrong way. This goal gave Cincinnati a 1-0 lead as they headed into the half.
The excitement peaked in the 74th minute with another captivating moment from Evander, who scored his 11th goal of the season. The goal followed an Orlando error near midfield, where Kei Kamara capitalized, racing down the field before passing to Evander. Positioned on the left, Evander unleashed a curling shot that nestled inside the far post, extending the lead to 2-0. This milestone made Evander the only Major League Soccer player to accumulate at least 25 goals and 25 assists since the beginning of the 2024 season.
Orlando found a glimmer of hope in the 87th minute when Marco Pašali? managed to convert a chance for his seventh goal in 19 appearances. The play unfolded as Ramiro Enrique kept the ball from crossing the end line and Martín Ojeda set it up perfectly for Pašali? to finish it from the penalty spot, narrowing the deficit to 2-1.
David Brekalo had a major opportunity to level the score in the dying minutes, but his ambitious close-range shot unfortunately soared over the crossbar, sealing Cincinnati’s win.