COLUMBUS – The double-game week for the Columbus Crew ended with the much-anticipated Hell Is Real rivalry against FC Cincinnati, with the Black & Gold defeating FC Cincinnati 2-1. After their midweek loss to New York City FC, it was evident this match was a “must win” for the Crew.

Possession stats favored the visiting side for the beginning of the match, with Cincinnati out-possessing the Crew by 10%. This was unlikely for the Crew, who normally dominate that category during matches. With Cincinnati dictating, something was bound to happen.

It didn’t take long for the goals to start, with Kevin Denkey getting the opening goal for the Orange & Blue just nine minutes in. Pavel Bucha sent in a cross from the right-hand side towards the center of the box for Denkey. Mohamed Farsi tried to clear but whiffed on the attempt, leaving the ball square for Denkey who slotted it past Patrick Schulte at his right side.

After the goal, the momentum changed in favor of Columbus. The Crew hounded the final third with multiple opportunities but couldn’t finish. Dylan Chambost had a chance to level the match in the 18th minute but just missed the near post of Cincinnati netminder Roman Celentano. Just seconds later, Jamal Thiare had a chance at the right of Celentano, but couldn’t find the back of the net.

Columbus leveled in the 42nd minute through Thiare, who was able to rise to Chambost’s corner kick and head it home past Celentano. The momentum didn’t stop there, with Max Arfsten drawing a penalty kick after being brought down inside the penalty area by Cincinnati defender Matt Miazga. Daniel Gazdag converted the spot kick to give the Crew a 2-1 lead heading into the halftime break.

Columbus seemed to have retained that huge momentum swing to start the second half, with Taha Habroune nearly extending the lead for Columbus with a shot from distance. However, the chance was moot, just missing the near post.

Throughout the second half, the Crew silenced the Cincinnati offense. Meaningful chances for the Orange & Blue were nullified by the stout defense of Columbus. Evander was halted from making an impact, and the traveling Bailey was outdone by the Nordecke.

Dado Velanzuela was shown a straight red card in second-half stoppage time after kicking Habroune in the corner. That play drew a crowd and a mass confrontation. At the final whistle, Mohamed Farsi made a beeline toward the visiting locker room after Valenzuela, making both benches clear toward the Southwest corner of Scotts Miracle-Gro Field. Steven Moreira and Malte Amundsen had to be restrained before Farsi eventually made it into the tunnel.

The aforementioned players also made it into the tunnel, and captain Sean Zawadzki exchanged words with an FC Cincinnati assistant coach. With emotions running high, cooler heads prevailed, with all three players returning to the pitch to soak in the victory.

Patrick Schulte notches appearance No. 100

With his start in tonight’s Hell Is Real derby, Patrick Schulte has recorded 100 regular-season appearances for the Black & Gold.

What’s next?

The Columbus Crew travel to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to take on Inter Miami CF. Kickoff from the South is set for 7:30 p.m. EDT. You can watch the match on Apple TV.