Felipe Mora’s goal in the 71st minute gave continued the Rose City side’s winning streak to four matches with a 3-2 win over a hapless Colorado Rapids on Saturday night at Providence Park.
Newcomer Antony and Santiago Moreno scored in the first half alongside Dairon Asprilla’s two assists gave the Timbers (11-11-9, 42 points) a 2-0 lead.
However, the visiting Rapids (4-15-10, 22 points), had other plans and looking to spoil the party in the colossus of Goose Hollow when they scored through Diego Rubio and Andrew Gutman to tie the match up at two goals apiece.
By going to the break tied at goals each side, the opportunities arose for both sides, but neither could convert after both goalies stepped up their games and didn’t allow any liberties to either team’s strikers.
However, the stage was set for Felipe Mora to stage his heroics in the 71st minute when he scored the go-ahead goal and what became the game winner with his fourth goal of the season in seven matches. The play started with a Portland throw-in deep in their own end, as the Rapids turned over the ball to Aspirilla near the midfield, Asprilla set up Mora about 40 yards from the net.
By showing off his skills, Mora trickled around Rapids goalkeeper Marko Ilic inside the penalty area and slipped a shot into the open net from six yards and scoring what became a sort of golden goal for the Timbers!
Manager Miles Joseph gave Antony his first start after five appearances as well as placing Noel Caliskan in the starting eleven in place of a suspended Cristhian Paredes, out with an accumulation of yellow cards.
Antony was the one to open the scoring in the 19th minute with his first goal in Major League Soccer. Later, he was followed by Santiago Moreno after picking a 30-yard pass from the Colorado net and passing to Noel Caliskan whose 18-yard shot was blocked by the Rapids defender. Still, the ball fell to Aspirilla who dribbled to the end line on the left side of the field and crossing to Antony with a header taking one bounce off the turf and going inside the right post.
The Timbers doubled the lead before Antony made a number of plays and making multiple attempts to connect with Lalas Abubakar before sending a pass to Moreno at the top of the 18-yard box. There it was met by Caliskan and with a one-two combination with Moreno shooting past Rapids keeper Ilic.
With Colorado having some fight and not giving up, they rallied with a combination of Cole Bassett’s cross pass finding Diego Rubio and with a header out from 12 yards the visitors were within a goal in the 31st minute.
As the visiting Rapids went on the offensive, they tied the score in the 43rd minute after Calvin Harris passed to defender Andrew Gutman whose shot ricocheted off Mosquera’s shoes and out of the reach of Timbers goalie David Bingham.
Goals
Antony 19’ POR, Santiago Moreno 30’ POR, Diego Rubio 31’ COL, Andrew Gutman 43’ COL, Felipe Mora 71’ POR
Men of the Match
Antony, Santiago Moreno and Felipe Mora
