MLS stars Bradley Wright-Phillips and Josef Martinez shined in the final minutes Sunday, as the visiting New York Red Bulls and Atlanta United FC played to a wild 3-3 draw.
Martinez, scoreless against New York in five previous regular season matches, tied the game on a penalty kick in the 79th minute. He then put Atlanta (9-7-3) ahead with his 12th goal of the season with a header that hit the top of the crossbar and fell just over the line in the first minute of second-half stoppage time.
However, the veteran Wright-Phillips, limited to just nine league games due to injury this year, delivered a stunning equalizer just two minutes later. Off a lengthy pass into the box from Cristian Casseres Jr., Wright-Phillips blazed the ball past stunned Atlanta keeper Brad Guzan.
That capped another entertaining match between these rivals, and left Atlanta still without a win in six regular-season matches with New York (8-7-4).
Justin Merem put United on the scoresheet first via the counter. Off a streaking pass from Pity Martinez, Meram made a nifty move and had an easy boot past stonewalled New York goalkeeper Luis Robles in the 10th minute.
New York would level the match in the 37th. Off a turnover upfield, Daniel Royer showed his composure amid traffic in the box and delivered a left-footed drive past Guzan for his fifth of 2019 and fourth all-time versus Atlanta.
The Red Bulls then struck on the hour mark via Brian White. Thanks to a United defensive breakdown, Alex Muyl delivered a perfect, low-curling cross to White, who did not need much to one-time the ball past Guzan.
Martinez, though, was fouled in the box by New York’s Kyle Duncan, and banged home his penalty attempt off the left post to make it 2-2. Things would get even wilder down the stretch as Martinez sent the crowd into a frenzy with his header in stoppage time.
However, Wright-Phillips quickly silenced the crowd of 68,077 with that impressive equalizer.
–Field Level Media
