New York City FC 1–0 FC Cincinnati

By Rene Vidal

First Half

The game began with high energy and immediate intent from both teams, especially New York City FC, who looked determined to control the tempo early. From the opening whistle, the home side pressed high, looking to unsettle Cincinnati’s midfield and back line.

3rd Minute: Keaton Parks earned an early free kick after being clipped by Evander Da Silva Ferreira. The foul set the tone for a physical contest, particularly in midfield where New York City sought to dominate.

5th Minute: NYCFC nearly opened the scoring when Julián Fernández unleashed a left-footed effort from the right side of the box. Roman Celentano was equal to it, diving low to make the save.

6th–7th Minutes: NYCFC followed up with a barrage of chances. Hannes Wolf’s low-driven shot was bravely blocked by DeAndre Yedlin, and moments later, Andrés Perea forced another save with a clean right-footed strike from close range.

9th Minute – GOAL! New York City FC took a deserved lead when Julián Fernández fired a beautiful left-footed shot from outside the box into the bottom left corner. With an xG of just 12%, it was a testament to Fernández’s clinical finishing and NYCFC’s early dominance. (NYCFC 1–0 CIN)

12th Minute: Luca Orellano responded for Cincinnati with a curling left-footed effort, which was palmed away by NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese. However, the effort came after a dangerous foul by Matt Miazga on Alonso Martínez. Miazga received the first yellow card of the match for the reckless challenge.

14th Minute – PENALTY MISS: In a moment that could have swung the match further NYCFC’s way, Alonso Martínez stepped up to take a penalty after a Cincinnati foul. With a high xG of 77%, expectations were high—but the forward hit the right post, letting Cincinnati off the hook.

18th–28th Minutes: The match settled into a more balanced phase, although NYCFC continued to threaten. Alonso Martínez saw multiple shots blocked or saved—first by Miazga, then by Kubo, and finally a strong save from Celentano. The build-up play remained sharp, with Fernández and Martínez constantly switching positions and probing.

30th–35th Minutes: Cincinnati had a chance to level the score when Orellano sent a couple of speculative efforts just wide. For NYCFC, Jonathan Shore saw a decent effort sail over the bar. On 38 minutes, Alonso Martínez again tested Celentano with a shot from a tight angle, but the goalkeeper remained composed.

39th Minute: Goalkeeper Matt Freese picked up a yellow card for dissent or delay, though the exact reason wasn’t clearly indicated. Tension was visibly building.

First-Half Stoppage Time: Cincinnati pushed hard before the interval, winning two corners. Orellano came close with a low shot from the right side, blocked bravely by Justin Haak. Both Miazga and Hagglund were flagged offside on set pieces, highlighting NYCFC's disciplined back line. The whistle blew with New York City narrowly ahead, despite a number of quality chances on both ends.

Second Half

HT Substitutions: FC Cincinnati made two changes at the break, bringing on Gerardo Valenzuela for Yuya Kubo and Sergio Santos for Nick Hagglund. The changes hinted at a more attacking setup.

49th–54th Minutes: NYCFC started the second half cautiously. Tayvon Gray won a free kick in a dangerous area after being fouled by Santos. At the other end, Valenzuela and Lukas Engel both tested Freese with decent efforts from outside the box. Jonathan Shore then had a low shot blocked by Anunga.

56th–60th Minutes: Brian Anunga drew a foul from Hannes Wolf. Cincinnati continued to grow into the game, and Evander Da Silva Ferreira sent a speculative long-range shot that was blocked by Justin Haak.

63rd–64th Minutes: The game became increasingly frantic. Cincinnati won a series of corners through Orellano, and Brian Anunga nearly leveled with a shot from the center of the box (xG 37%), but his effort flew wide.

67th–71st Minutes: Both sides exchanged attacks. Santos fired wide from the left side of the box (xG 6%). Fernández responded with two missed efforts for NYCFC. A foul by Hannes Wolf on Denkey earned the Austrian a yellow card. Moments later, Birk Risa committed a foul on Denkey as well, adding to Cincinnati’s free-kick count.

75th–79th Minutes: Tensions boiled over again when Justin Haak brought down Orellano, earning a yellow card. NYCFC made substitutions—Ojeda replaced Fernández and Bakrar came on for Alonso Martínez. On 79 minutes, Cincinnati came agonizingly close with two chances: Valenzuela’s powerful shot (xG 25%) was saved by Freese, and Robinson’s close-range attempt was blocked by Cavallo.

Final Moments

81st–85th Minutes: Cincinnati continued to press. Orellano was replaced by Corey Baird to add fresh legs on the flank. Evander Da Silva Ferreira continued to be at the center of action, winning and taking set pieces. NYCFC made additional substitutions with Ojeda and Bakrar entering the fray.

88th Minute: NYCFC looked to seal the match. Bakrar had a shot blocked from the right side of the box by Flores (xG 11%). Hannes Wolf delivered a dangerous corner from the right, but it came to nothing.

90th–90+2 Minutes: The final minutes were chaotic. Cincinnati committed a series of fouls as frustration mounted. Brad Smith, Valenzuela, and Denkey all fouled NYCFC players—Bakrar, Risa, and Moralez respectively. The most notable infraction came when Evander Da Silva Ferreira cynically brought down Maxi Moralez, earning a yellow card in the second minute of stoppage time.

Full-Time Whistle

After an intense and physical second half, the referee brought the match to a close. New York City FC emerged victorious with a narrow but hard-fought 1-0 win. Julián Fernández's first-half strike proved to be the difference in a match filled with chances, missed penalties, brave defending, and goalkeeping heroics.

Final Thoughts

• Player of the Match: Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati) – Despite the loss, his performance kept Cincinnati in the game with multiple crucial saves.

• Turning Point: Alonso Martínez’s missed penalty in the 14th minute. A potential two-goal cushion was wasted, keeping Cincinnati’s hopes alive.

• Tactical Highlight: NYCFC’s wing rotation between Fernández and Martínez consistently disrupted Cincinnati’s defensive structure.

• Discipline: A total of four yellow cards and 30+ fouls showed just how fierce this battle was.