Lucky Vancouver Whitecaps scrape into Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 | OneFootball

Vancouver Whitecaps booked their spot in the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 after a 2-0 win over Saprissa on Thursday (3-2 on aggregate).

Scorer: White 46', 90+1'

It was a tale of two halves at BC Place as the Major League Soccer club came from behind on aggregate thanks to a second half surge against the serial Costa Rican champions.

With only two efforts on target combined over the first 45 minutes, the match was initially a tense encounter. Vancouver, despite over 75% possession of the ball, struggled to find their groove in front of home fans, suggesting Saprissa could pull off the unthinkable.

However, everything changed after the restart as the tie turned 2-2 on aggregate thanks to forward Brian White. The 29-year-old split two centre-backs and thumped home a diving level less than one minute into the second half.

The Whitecaps experienced a surge in confidence with the goal and Saprissa felt the heat. White and Ryan Gauld continually searched for another goal but were denied by the woodwork and goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado.

Then at the other end, the visitors almost scored one of their own but were denied by the crossbar. And with the two teams on the brink of heading into extra-time, more drama ensued.

White managed to stab home another goal (proving the eventual winner) following some pinball in the box. However, his hard work could have all been undone when Sebastian Berhalter appeared to commit a handball in the final seconds, but VAR opted not to review and Vancouver scraped through.

The Whitecaps will now face Monterrey in the Round of 16.

Feature image credit: © Simon Fearn-Imagn Images