Brandon Vazquez scored in the third minute of stoppage time to give visiting FC Cincinnati a 1-0 victory over Minnesota United on Saturday night in Saint Paul, Minn.
Vazquez redirected a crossing pass by Calvin Harris from the right side of the box with his left foot into the middle of the net for the winner. FC Cincinnati (5-5-1, 16 points) won their third consecutive game for the first time in franchise history.
Roman Celentano made five saves to pick up his second shutout of the season.
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Dayne St. Clair finished with five saves for Minnesota United (4-4-2, 14 points), who lost their second straight game.
Minnesota had the edge in possession in a scoreless first half but it was FC Cincinnati that had the better scoring chances.
St. Clair had to make a highlight-reel save on Luciano Acosta in the 16th minute, making an outstretched finger-tip save on Acosta’s right-footed shot from the center of the box.
Two minutes later, Vazquez took a through pass from Acosta and fired a left-footed shot from the left side of the box that bounced straight out off the far post.
Minnesota’s best chance came in the 28th minute. Bongokuhle Hlongwane took a through pass from Emanuel Reynoso near the left edge of the six-yard box but Celentano blocked his sharp-angle try.
St. Clair had to come up with another big save just before halftime when he came out and made a point-blank leg save on a shot from the center of the box by Dominique Badji.
Reynoso had two good scoring chances in the second half, the first on a curling left-footed shot from the right corner of the box that just grazed the crossbar in the 56th minute. Seventeen minutes later, Reynoso fired a free kick from just outside the box that Celentano caught.
–Field Level Media