Julian Fernandez scored in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time to lift New York City FC over the visiting Columbus Crew 3-2 at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday.
Fernandez ripped a shot from the top of the box from a feed by Augustin Ojeda.
New York City (15-9-5, 50 points) beat the Crew for the first time since May 2022 (0-3-3) to move into fifth in the Eastern Conference.
Hannes Wolf scored his second of the match in the 73rd minute to tie it 2-2, 13 minutes after Wessam Abou Alli gave Columbus the lead.
The Crew (13-7-10, 49 points) dropped to seventh in the East. They are 1-3-1 in the past five matches.
Wolf’s 11th of the season was volley from the middle of the box from and assist by Ojeda.
Abou Alli, signed as a Designated Player from Egyptian Premier League champion Al Ahly Sporting Club on July 26, scored in a second straight match with a header off a Max Arfsten service.
Daniel Gazdag’s penalty kick in the 40th minute put the Crew ahead before Wolf tied it in the third minute of first-half stoppage time.
The match was rescheduled from Aug. 9 due to poor field conditions at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets.
Abou Ali drew the penalty when he was tripped during a challenge by Aiden O’Neill. Gazdag confidently stepped to the spot and ripped a shot to the left corner.
He has converted 25 of 26 PKs in his MLS career, including 2 for 2 this season for the Crew after being acquired in a trade with the Philadelphia Union on April 11.
Wolf’s first goal came in the final moments before the break. Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte got a hand on shot from the right side by Justin Jaak but the ball went directly to Wolf in front.
The Crew played their first match since leading scorer Diego Rossi (16 goals) sustained a thigh injury shortly after completing a hat trick in the 39th minute of a 5-4 win at Atlanta United on Saturday. He’ll be out for two to four weeks.
–Field Level Media
