Columbus Crew pull off stunning Hell is Real comeback | OneFootball

By Charles Boehm

The Hell is Real derby delivered yet again on Saturday night, serving up drama, dispute and six goals scattered from minute No. 1 to second-half injury time at pulsating TQL Stadium.

Like any good rivalry, FC Cincinnati vs. Columbus Crew is a zero-sum equation, and the Crew’s joy was Cincy’s agony this time out.

After FCC’s incredible start to the match saw them surge ahead 2-0 just five minutes in, the undaunted visitors responded with four unanswered goals from four different players as their traveling supporters burst into life way up in the top corner of the stands.

The black-and-gold side of Ohio have secured bragging rights until their next duel, while closing the gap between them in the standings to just one point.

Statement performance

“Belief,” said Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy of his dogged side’s comeback for a 4-2 win. “Belief, grit, resilience, chemistry, and after that, tactics.

“They are so strong mentally,” noted the Frenchman. “Yes, we can play, and so on and so on and so on. But I think that we try to challenge them all the time, that the difference between greatness and being good is that mental aspect. If we're able to do it consistently, it can be really interesting.”

It’s a result that may well reverberate beyond even the substantial stakes of regional supremacy.

After winning just one match in seven during May, Columbus are now 4W-0L-1D in their last five matches, leaning in as usual to their identity as a brave, assertive attacking side capable of dominating anyone in the league with the ball – even as they continue to leak untimely goals that complicate the task.

“The resilience this group has – there's been so many times we've been down or conceded first, and although we don't want that, and that's something we got to be better about, it's just, I think, a testament to this group and all the guys on our team for how we're able to bounce back,” said Max Arfsten, who marked his return from US men’s national team duty with his fourth league goal of the season.

“So I'm proud of our guys, and there's obviously things to learn from. But, I mean, everyone's feeling really good after this one.”

Tried and true

The 2023 MLS Cup winners and 2024 Leagues Cup champions know what it takes to win things, and have now climbed into a tie with Nashville for third place in the Eastern Conference while knocking Cincy out of pole position in both the East and overall tables – even with lingering questions about their reserves of top-end talent in the wake of winter departures Cucho Hernández and Christian Ramírez.

“I try to see my team with new eyes all the time,” said Nancy. “And I said it in the beginning of the year, and maybe people were saying that I don't know, I am a dreamer. But I know what I have, my team.

"I'm not saying that we need competition. We're going to get competition, but I know what we can do, and after that, we score many goals. I think that the last three years, we are one of the best teams in terms of goals that we score.”

As if the setback wasn’t painful enough for FCC in and of itself, it forced the Knifey Lions to recall the brutal memories of Columbus’ rally from 2-0 behind to 3-2 winners in the Eastern Conference Final of the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs at the same venue. And now they must rapidly pivot towards a midweek visit from red-hot Leo Messi and Inter Miami (7:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV+).

“It's a tough, tough night," said Cincy head coach Pat Noonan. "We got to own it and move on from it, because we got a quick turnaround and another important game. But, yeah, we let that one get away from us.

“We started playing a little too direct. I think we lost our discipline and composure a little bit, and it allowed them to get into the game. But we also had a lot of transition moments where we could have had a couple more goals.”

Upward climb

The Crew, meanwhile, are feeling it as they get set to travel to Nashville for their Wednesday match (8:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass), where a victory would enable them to climb another rung or two up the ladder and make another statement about their trophy-hunting credentials.

“Honestly, I feel like all of us have the belief once we get one [goal], we can get another for sure, because we just really believe in how we play, and we know what we can do to teams, regardless of how good they are,” said Arfsten.

“Like you saw tonight, Cincy was top of the table, and we were able to have more possession than them, and kind of shift them side to side, even when they were winning. So no matter what, we just believe and stick to our football.”

WATCH: Columbus Crew rally for Hell is Real win at FC Cincinnati