Football
2021 Major League Soccer, Regular Season
CIN 
3
FT
 CHI
4
Reuters 2y

Luka Stojanovic's late goal lifts Fire past FC Cincinnati

Luka Stojanovic drove home the tiebreaking goal in the third minute of stoppage time, and the visiting Chicago Fire stunned reeling FC Cincinnati with a 4-3 victory on Wednesday night.

Just two minutes after Cincinnati's Tyler Blackett clipped in a cross amid traffic to tie the match at 3-3, Stojanovic drilled a laser from outside of the top of the box that just cleared the arm of leaping FCC goalkeeper Przemyslaw Tyton. It's just the second road victory of the season for Chicago (8-16-7, 31 points), which like Cincinnati, has already been eliminated from playoff contention.

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After the Fire blew an early 2-0 advantage, Alvaro Medran put his team back up 3-2 in the 71st minute off a free kick from roughly 20 yards out. However, Blackett responded for Cincinnati (4-18-8, 20 points), but FCC was unable to hold on for a point and has now lost a franchise-worst eight consecutive matches.

Within the first 17 minutes, Robert Beric scored twice over a three-minute span to give Chicago a 2-0 lead. However, Luciano Acosta pulled one back for FC Cincinnati in the 28th minute and Brandon Vazquez tied it eight minutes later.

Cincinnati drew the first serious scoring chance just six minutes into the match. But Vazquez's point-blank, bounced header was batted over the crossbar by 17-year-old Chicago goalkeeper Gaga Slonina.

From there, it was Beric's time to shine.

His first goal of the night came off an easy rebound of Tyton's initial save in the 14th minute. Three minutes later, Beric took advantage of a misplay of the ball by Tyton, to tap in an intended cross from teammate Ignacio Aliseda for the 2-0 Chicago edge.

However, FCC did not sulk and stepped up its own pressure, and it was rewarded when Acosta kicked in Vazquez's service near the left post just before the half-hour mark. Vazquez then got in on the scoring when he outraced Chicago defender Jonathan Bornstein to Ronald Matarrita's long ball, then beat Slonina to level the match at 2-2.

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