Four shots, two on target, two goals
Columbus Crew went to Cincinnati on Sunday, took 4 shots all night, put both on target and won 2-0. FC Cincinnati had 24 attempts and nothing to show for them.
Gonzalo Tapia opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, heading in a Brais Mendez corner from the right from five yards. Tapia then set up the second. His cutback in the 54th minute found Taha Habroune, who finished for his fifth goal of the season. Patrick Schulte kept the door shut with eight saves.
The shot ratio is the story. A 24-4 gap in attempts usually produces a win for the side holding the 24. Here Columbus scored on every shot on target it created, and Schulte took care of the rest.
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What it does to the East race
The result tightens the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Columbus (10-15-5, 35 points) has now won five of its last six and sits one point behind ninth-place Cincinnati (9-11-9, 36 points) for the final playoff spot, with four matches left.
Cincinnati has gone the other way. Four losses in its last five games leave it 1-5-3 across its past nine. It also missed a chance to pass the New York Red Bulls, who have 36 points, for eighth, and to open a gap on 10th-place D.C. United, who are also on 36. That trio, plus Columbus, now share a very small margin for error.
With four games remaining, one more night like this one for Cincinnati and the playoff line could slip away entirely.
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