Red Bull New York rode a fast start, a clever second-half response and a stoppage-time clincher to defeat FC Cincinnati 4-2 at Red Bull Arena on Saturday night in Major League Soccer.

The hosts took the lead through Julian Hall in the 12th minute, were pegged back by Pavel Bucha’s 17th-minute equalizer, then seized control after the break thanks to Emil Forsberg’s superb 48th-minute free-kick and a 65th-minute own goal forced from Kyle Smith. Cincinnati threatened a comeback when Smith made amends with a goal of his own in the 72nd minute, but Mohammed Sofo settled the fixture in the 90’+3′ minute.

It was an entertaining, open contest in Harrison, New Jersey, with little to separate the sides statistically. Red Bull New York edged possession at 52.4 percent and finished with 18 shots to Cincinnati’s 17, while both teams put six efforts on target. The difference was in the hosts’ sharper finishing in decisive moments and their ability to punish Cincinnati whenever the visitors looked ready to build momentum.

Hall strikes early before Bucha answers

Red Bull New York started on the front foot and grabbed the opener in the 12th minute when Julian Hall put the home side ahead at 1-0. The early goal lifted the tempo inside Red Bull Arena and gave the hosts exactly the kind of platform their manager would have wanted.

FC Cincinnati, though, responded well. Rather than retreat, the visitors played their way back into the match and found a deserved equalizer through Pavel Bucha in the 17th minute. At 1-1, the fixture settled into a lively rhythm, with both sides willing to attack and neither back line looking entirely comfortable.

Cincinnati picked up the first booking of the night when Bryan Ramirez went into the book in the 37th minute, but the visitors held firm through the rest of the first half. The teams went into the interval level at 1-1, a fair reflection of an even opening 45 minutes.

Forsberg changes the match after the break

Red Bull New York came out with far more purpose at the start of the second half, and the breakthrough arrived almost immediately. Emil Forsberg restored the hosts’ lead in the 48th minute with a free-kick goal, a moment of quality that shifted the energy of the match.

That goal forced Cincinnati to chase, and the home side looked increasingly dangerous in transition. Ronald Donkor was shown a yellow card in the 57th minute as the intensity rose, but Red Bull New York kept pressing and got a crucial third goal in the 65th minute when Kyle Smith turned the ball into his own net.

At 3-1, the hosts appeared to have one hand on the points. Forsberg’s influence between the lines was evident, and Red Bull New York were finding better spaces as Cincinnati pushed higher up the pitch.

Cincinnati rally, but Sofo has the last word

To their credit, Cincinnati refused to let the match drift away. Kyle Smith responded in the best possible way from a difficult night by pulling one back in the 72nd minute, cutting the deficit to 3-2 and setting up a tense finish.

That goal injected real belief into the visitors, who sensed an equalizer was there to be had. Matt Miazga was booked in the 80th minute during a scrappy spell, and Omar Valencia also entered the referee’s notebook in the 83rd minute as the match became increasingly stretched and physical.

For all of Cincinnati’s pressure, though, Red Bull New York found the killer blow deep into stoppage time. Mohammed Sofo struck in the 90’+3′ minute to make it 4-2 and put the result beyond doubt, capping an excellent attacking display from the home side.

There was still time for more late drama, as Cincinnati substitute Alvas Powell was sent off in the 90’+5′ minute, a frustrating final note on a night when the visitors showed attacking quality but never quite found the defensive control needed to get something from the fixture.

Key takeaways

For Red Bull New York, this was a valuable home win built on resilience and timely quality. Hall set the tone early, Forsberg delivered the standout moment with his 48th-minute free-kick, and Sofo applied the finishing touch late on. The own goal forced from Smith also reflected the kind of pressure the hosts were able to sustain in the second half.

FC Cincinnati will feel they contributed plenty to an entertaining contest, especially after matching Red Bull New York for shots on target and staying competitive for long stretches. Bucha’s 17th-minute goal and Smith’s 72nd-minute finish kept them alive, but the visitors were ultimately punished by defensive lapses and could not keep the home side quiet in the key phases of the match.

In the end, Red Bull New York made home advantage count and emerged from a chaotic, high-tempo MLS fixture with a deserved 4-2 victory.