Nashville SC were staring at a point when Columbus Crew leveled and then took the lead in the second half, but two goals in the final minute sealed a 3-2 win at Geodis Park on Saturday night. Reed Baker-Whiting and Andy Najar both struck in the 90th minute to flip a result that had looked beyond Nashville for much of the second half. The win keeps Nashville top of the Eastern Conference on 49 points, 10 clear of second-placed Inter Miami.
Key Moments
- 27′, Nashville opened the scoring when Hany Mukhtar finished from a Daniel Lovitz assist to give the hosts a first-half lead.
- 58′, Columbus leveled through Mohamed Farsi, who converted after being set up by Malte Amundsen, making it 1-1 on the night.
- 68′, André Gomes put Columbus ahead for the first time in the match, finishing without an assist recorded to make it 2-1.
- 90′, Reed Baker-Whiting, on as a substitute since the 62nd minute, equalized with Hany Mukhtar providing the assist to make it 2-2.
- 90′, Within moments of the equalizer, Andy Najar headed home a Jeisson Palacios delivery to complete a breathtaking two-goal turnaround and seal the three points for Nashville.
Tactical Breakdown
Nashville controlled the opening half, with Hany Mukhtar picking up where he has spent most of the season, operating as the creative hub in behind the forwards. His 27th-minute finish, set up by Daniel Lovitz before the fullback picked up a yellow card 12 minutes later, looked like the platform the hosts needed. Columbus, sitting 13th in the East, rarely threatened in the first period and arrived at halftime on the back foot.
The Crew reorganized well at halftime and came out with more urgency in the second half. Twin substitutions at the 59th minute by interim coach Laurent Courtois, bringing on Brooks Lennon and Josef Martínez, changed the game’s tempo. Columbus had already equalized through Mohamed Farsi at 58 before the changes, and André Gomes added a second at 68 to put the visitors ahead. Nashville responded by withdrawing Alex Muyl, Patrick Yazbek, and Daniel Lovitz simultaneously at 62, sending on Elias Saad, Edvard Tagseth, and Reed Baker-Whiting. Those changes ultimately proved decisive, with Baker-Whiting converting the equalizer and Jeisson Palacios creating the winner for Andy Najar.
Columbus will be frustrated. They managed to turn a deficit into a lead and had more than 20 minutes to protect it, but Nashville’s depth told in the final seconds. The Crew’s late substitutions at 84, bringing on Dániel Gazdag and Lautaro Giaccone, were not enough to see the game out, and their defensive shape collapsed at exactly the wrong moment to concede twice in the same minute.
Player Ratings
Match Context
Standings
Head To Head
Verdict
The result extends Nashville’s lead at the top of the Eastern Conference to 49 points, 10 ahead of Inter Miami in second. Columbus remain 13th on 20 points, still searching for the consistency they need to climb the table in the back half of the regular season.
Columbus Crew
Nashville SC