New England Revolution came from behind to claim a hard-earned 2-1 victory over Columbus Crew on Saturday night at Gillette Stadium, turning a difficult first half into a composed and clinical second-half response.
Columbus struck first in the 24th minute when Max Arfsten finished to put the visitors ahead, rewarding a bright opening spell from the Crew. The away side carried a slight edge in possession on the night at 51.7 percent and also won seven corners, asking plenty of questions with their movement and service into dangerous areas. At the break, the Revolution were trailing 1-0 and in need of a sharper attacking edge.
They found it after the interval. Dor Turgeman brought New England level in the 54th minute with a header, shifting the momentum and energizing the home side. It was the Revolution’s clearest statement of the night, and from there the match took on a more combative tone as both teams battled for control in midfield and looked for the decisive moment.
That tension showed in the 71st minute, when André Gomes went into the book for Columbus and Matt Turner was also shown a yellow card for New England during a heated stretch. The fixture remained finely poised deep into the second half, with Columbus continuing to threaten while New England searched for one clean opening.
The breakthrough came in the 85th minute. Carles Gil stepped up from the penalty spot and converted with the calm expected of the Revolution captain, sending Gillette Stadium into celebration and completing the turnaround at 2-1.
There was still late pressure to navigate. Max Arfsten was booked in the 87th minute as Columbus pushed for an equalizer, and Rudy Camacho saw yellow in stoppage time at 90+6′, but New England held firm through a lengthy added period to secure all three points.
Statistically, there was little between the sides. Columbus finished with 11 shots to New England’s 10 and put four efforts on target compared to the Revolution’s three. But the home side made their moments count, and that proved the difference.
For New England, this was a result built on resilience and patience. For Columbus, it was another frustrating night in which a strong first half did not translate into a result. Arfsten’s 24th-minute goal had put the Crew in control, but Turgeman’s 54th-minute equalizer and Gil’s 85th-minute penalty ultimately flipped the script in Foxborough.
Full-time: New England Revolution 2-1 Columbus Crew.
