Houston, Texas — The Houston Dynamo defeated Columbus Crew SC 2-0, accomplished their fourth straight home win and got their first shutout match of the season in front of an announced 15,557 screaming fans present in BBVA Compass Stadium.
“I think it was a good performance. It was difficult. It was back and forth. Some good moments with good possessions and some other good moments with attacking transitions. Some other good moments were solid defending,” Dynamo coach Wilmer Cabrera said.
Dynamo forward Mauro Manotas opened the scoreboard for his team in the third minute. The perfect pass derived from his teammate Alberth Elis, who showed immense swiftness when he stole the ball away from an unaware Columbus Crew defender, Lalas Abubakar.
Manotas had been going through what some would call a dry spell – his last goal was against Montreal Impact when he scored in the 86th minute for a victory. Now the Colombian forward has three goals in the regular season and five in total with the Dynamo.
“I am happy, glad,” Mauro Manotas said. “The important thing was to get the victory for the team. A play that Alberth robbed from the central (Columbus Crew player), and I had to use my ankle or whatever to get it in somehow.”
The rest of the first half was pretty much even on both sides with a 50/50 possession average. Right before the ending of the first 45 minutes, the home team had one last opportunity to widen the goal difference, but failed to put it in the back of the net and finished the first half with a 1-0 lead over Columbus.
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In the 54th minute, the Dynamo created a goal that started with Manotas, who took a shot and was blocked by Columbus goalkeeper Zack Steffen. In his attempt to clear the ball, Steffen ended up setting it up perfectly for Tomas Martinez, who blasted the rebound deep into the rival’s net, giving the Dynamo a 2-0 lead in the 55th minute.
“It looked a lot like the goal I made the other week,” Martinez said about his second consecutive goal on home turf.
Although Columbus created numerous dangerous plays and several opportunities to score, nothing happened. With this win, Houston now has 16 points and has reached five wins faster than any other season in club history.
The Dynamo will play state rival FC Dallas next weekend in the Texas Derby for the first time this season. All games are important for the Houston team, but there is extra motivation that comes with bragging rights when facing Dallas. The match will be Saturday at 3:00 p.m. CT at BBVA Compass Stadium.