FC Cincinnati outlasts Columbus for "Hell is Real" victory years in the making | Replay

There aren’t degrees or levels to wins in the “Hell is Real” derby. Each victory in the FC Cincinnati-Columbus Crew feud is one-size-fits-all, and they all fit perfectly.

FC Cincinnati played imperfectly in the 12^th installment of the rivalry with Columbus, blowing a two-goal advantage and retaking the lead only after a goalkeeping gaffe by the Crew.

FC Cincinnati won’t care one bit how it looked in its 3-2 victory against Columbus, which was its first win against its bitter in-state rival since October 2020 and its first in front of fans since June 2017 – the first time the clubs ever played and two years before FCC entered Major League Soccer.

A boisterous, sellout crowd of 25,513 attended Saturday at TQL Stadium and witnessed FC Cincinnati move to 9-1-3 in the MLS regular season, as well as 8-0-0 at its home venue.

"That was a great win. What an atmosphere, what a game," FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan said afterward. "I thought both teams, you know, played really well and in different phases of the game. High energy. The individual quality that you saw on the field on both sides to be able to open the game up and get each team attacking the goal, it made for an entertaining evening. I'm really thrilled for our guys to come out on top against a very good team.

"I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel different. This was a unique experience and a unique win. You knew it was going to be difficult and it was but to be able to win against that team, in front of our fans, was important."

FC Cincinnati remained atop the league-wide MLS standings on 30 points.

The Crew fell to 5-5-3 on the season.

Luciano Acosta scored twice for Cincinnati to provide a two-goal lead in the first half. Dominique Badji assisted on the first goal and drew a penalty kick that allowed Acosta to score his second of the match.

Columbus methodically chipped away at the hosts and pulled even early in the second half. Lucas Zelarayan scored in the 40^th minute for the Crew. Malte Amundsen scored the game-tying goal in the 52nd minute.

Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte essentially gave the match back to Cincinnati in the 67^th minute when he had the ball taken off him inside his own penalty area by Acosta. Schulte scrambled to get back into position but was out of the play as FCC quickly moved the ball to the center of the goal mouth.

Junior Moreno slotted the ball home for a 3-2 FCC lead, beating two Columbus defenders standing in the goal mouth.

The goal was Moreno’s third of 2023.

Acosta has five goals on the year and four in his last three regular-season matches.

FC Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano made five saves in the match. None was more important than his 93rd tip-save of the Crew's Steven Moreira, who nodded a ball that was headed for the back of Celentano's net.

But for a backward, diving tip by Celentano, Columbus would have achieved yet another late, come-from-behind draw at TQL Stadium.

Bragging rights are sweet but sometimes short-lived in this rivalry. The clubs meet again Aug. 20 at the Crew's Lower.com Field, where FCC is 0-2-0 since the venue opened.

At long last, Ohio's team (for now)

It's been about two-and-a-half years since FC Cincinnati last beat Columbus, and they hadn't won against the Crew with fans in the stands since the first-ever game between the clubs in the 2017 U.S. Open Cup. But at long last, the drought is over and FCC supporters can enjoy a win over their archrivals in-person.

The final score was 3-2, and Columbus goalkeeper Patrick Schulte's misstep was the decisive play in the game. FC Cincinnati won't care one bit how this contest looked, though. They're 9-1-3, still leading all of MLS, still undefeated at TQL Stadium (8-0-0) and the top team in Ohio.

A Columbus nightmare (67')

Columbus goalkeeper Patrick Schulte made a disaster for himself and his club in attempting to play with the ball at his feet. Luciano Acosta overtook Schulte physically, stole the ball off him and left the Crew 'keeper desperately trying to get back in position. The ball quickly made its way to the area around the Columbus penalty spot where FC Cincinnati's Junior Moreno slotted the ball home coolly for a 3-2 lead.

Hell for FC Cincy (52')

It's tied at two. FC Cincinnati ended the first half on the back foot and came out flat in the second half, too. Not surprisingly, Columbus found an equalizer. Cucho Hernandez's initial shot was saved by Roman Celentano but it was a hard shot with a rebound, and Malte Amundsen poked home the goal for 2-2.

Halftime

FC Cincinnati could be running away with the match, but it isn't. Nothing comes easy for Cincinnati in this rivalry series, and they were probably fortunate to get into the locker room with the lead intact.

Here we go again (40')

Lucas Zelarayan scored from about six yards out to pull Columbus to within a goal just before halftime. If that strikes you as familiar, it should. Zelarayan helped spark a come-from-behind draw at TQL Stadium in 2021 with a late first-half goal. Buckle up.

Lucho has a brace (22')

Dominique Badji and Luciano Acosta are dominating this game. An error in the back by Columbus allowed Badji to pick up the ball and stroll toward goal, only to be hauled down for a penalty kick. Acosta converted the kick. He's officially on fire in MLS play as he has four goals in his last three league games.

A big opener for FCC (17')

Dominique Badji did all the hard work on his run-and-square ball to Luciano Acosta, who tapped the ball home while Badji flipped over the advertisement boards below the end line. The goal was Lucho's fourth of the season, and his third in the last three MLS matches.

Light the candle (1')

We're underway at TQL Stadium for another truly star-studded edition of this intra-state feud.

Pre-match festivities

Eric Nally of Foxy Shazam provided some local flavor as he performanced the national anthem. FC Cincinnati legend Djiby Fall also traveled from Senegal to be present for the game. He's been greeted and celebrated by fans and FCC higher-ups since arriving to town yesterday.

The history

Named for billboards facing south Interstate 71 in Mount Sterling, Ohio, bearing the words "Hell Is Real," this rivalry series between FC Cincinnati and Columbus Crew first started on the field in the 2017 U.S. Open Cup - a match FCC won.

But even prior to that, relations between the clubs were icy. Whether Cincinnati was officially considered part of the Crew's "territory" and extended market was disputed by FC Cincinnati.

More: Preview: FC Cincy, Columbus Crew reconvene at TQL Stadium for sold-out 'Hell is Real'

The highest levels of the Crew organization were incredulous on the matter, though. Andy Loughnane, then the president of business operations for Columbus, nearly ended a 2016 interview with The Enquirer when the subject of a rivalry and two MLS clubs in Ohio was brought up.

The starting lineups

• FC Cincinnati XI: Roman Celentano (GK), Nick Hagglund, Yerson Mosquera, Matt Miazga, Ray Gaddis, Alvaro Barreal, Obinna Nwobodo, Luciano Acosta (captain), Junior Moreno, Dominique Badji, Brandon Vazquez.

• Columbus Crew XI: Patrick Shulte (GK), Philip Quinton, Gustavo Vallecilla, Malte Amundsen, Mohamed Farsi, Steven Moreira, Darlington Nagbe (captain), Aidan Morris, Lucas Zelarayan, Alexandru Maton, Cucho Hernandez.

• Cincinnati bench: Alec Kann (GK), Alvas Powell, Joey Akpunonu, Yuya Kubo, Marco Angulo, Santiago Arias, Malik Pinto, Ian Purphy, Isaiah Foster.

• Columbus bench: Isaiah Parente, Christian Ramirez, Jacen Russell-Rowe, Keegan Hughes, Evan Bush, Sean Zawadski, Max Arftsen, Jake Morris, Jimmy Medranda.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FC Cincinnati beats Columbus Crew in MLS rivalry game | Replay