When C.D. Dragón forward Kevin Melara scored in the 54th minute of a tense, scoreless match against the Portland Timbers, getting a result on the road in Central America seemed daunting.
Needing a win or draw to keep their hopes of CONCACAF Champions League advancement alive, the Timbers began throwing everything they had at Dragón (the Timbers would outshoot Dragon 12-2 in the match, with a 7-2 advantage in shots on target).
Finally, with only ten minutes of regular time remaining in the match, forward Fanendo Adi gathered a poor clearance by the Dragón defense and finished a powerful left-footed shot into the back of the net – tie game.
Unwilling to settle for the draw, the Timbers continued to attack, sending wave after wave of attackers forward in search of the game-winning goal.
Finally, in the very last minute of regular time, the Timbers found it.
After Adi was pulled down some five yards outside of the Dragón box, midfielder Darlington Nagbe stepped up to take the ensuing free kick.
Undeterred, Nagbe struck the ball with his right foot, curling the long-range effort past Dragón's diving goalkeeper and into the top left corner of the net.
“I was lucky enough to hit it right and get the game winner,” Nagbe added. “It felt great.”
“I told him to lift up the ball for me,” said goalscorer Adi. “But he told me, ‘Don’t worry, I’m going to take it.’ So, you know, he has done that before for us. Players step up and today it was massive for us and he stepped up and did the job.”
The Timbers ultimately held on to their 2-1 lead, earning a crucial three points on the road in Champions League play.
