The Rapids concede in extra time, split points with the Dynamo
The Colorado Rapids (4-3-2) fumbled away their lead late in extra time and end up drawing with the Houston Dynamo (1-4-4) 2-2 on Saturday. Early missed opportunities were the reason the Rapids missed out on the full three points.
Through the first 25 minutes the Burgundy Boys had two opportunities that should’ve resulted in goals but both Cole Bassett and Rafael Navarro wasted their chances. Bassett couldn't control the ball while Navarro’s chip attempt went over the crossbar.
In the 39th minute Colorado striker Darren Yapi had the ball in the Dynamo’s box and elected to take a contested shot instead of passing the ball to captain Djordje Mihailovic. Yapi’s shot was deflected and went wide, but if he had passed the ball, Mihailovic would’ve had a wide-open net.
Three minutes later Houston opened the scoring after an excellent display of team football. A string of passes resulted in Amine Bassi curling the ball into the right side of the net past Rapids' keeper Zack Steffen.
Despite having various opportunities to score, the Rapids went into half trailing one-nil. They dominated in every offensive stat and had 1.61 expected goals.
12 minutes into the second half Navarro was chopped down in the box and awarded a penalty. Mihailovic stepped up to the spot and sent the goalie the wrong way to level the score.
Mihailovic added another goal contribution 20 minutes later after playing a pass to Navarro that left him in front of the box. The Brazilian did the rest, he blew past the defense and blasted the ball between the keeper’s legs to give Colorado its first lead of the game. Through nine games the striker has already scored five times.
“He’s [Navarro] obsessed with scoring goals,” Colorado Rapids head coach Chris Armas said “He does all the dirty work that's needed … He's so important for us.”
Following the goal the Rapids implemented a defensive strategy hoping their backline wouldn’t break in the remaining 13 minutes.
In the sixth minute of extra time Houston substitute Ondrej Lingr’s header curved into the far post to tie the game a minute before the final whistle.
“For 80 minutes out of the game we do a very good job,” Mihailovic said after the game. “We can sit and say that we lose two points on the table but I think overall it's a good performance from us.”
Colorado heads home to face the Seattle Sounders (3-3-3) Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. MT. The game can be streamed on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV.