COLUMBUS, OHIO – A late goal from Bradley Wright-Phillips earned Columbus Crew SC a 1-0 victory over Real Esteli of Nicaragua in the second leg of the 2021 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League Round of 16 on Thursday night at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
With the victory, Crew SC collected a 5-0 win on aggregate and advanced to their first SCCL quarterfinal since the 2010-11 edition.
Real Esteli had a very active start and put the Columbus defense on their heels on a few occasions while in search of the opening goal.
Crew SC looked to respond and began to regain control of the affair through their possession and play in midfield.
Columbus increased the pressure as play continued into the second half and Aboubacar Keita came close to finding the opener with a header off a corner kick, but Real Esteli GK Denvorn Fox was there to make the save.
Heading into the final 25 minutes of the match, it was all there for Real Esteli to find a goal and try to secure their first ever SCCL victory.
A long-range Real Esteli shot in the 71’ tested Columbus GK Eloy Room, but overall, the final minutes saw Crew SC on the front foot.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 86’, with Wright-Phillips receiving a pass from Lucas Zelarayan and beating Fox with a composed finish to earn Columbus the 1-0 victory.
🟡⚫️ Goal @ColumbusCrewSC! ⚫️🟡
— Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League (@TheChampions) April 16, 2021
⚽️Bradley Wright-Phillips increases the aggregate lead to 5-0 | #SCCL21 pic.twitter.com/WWWjrUCqPs
