The Seattle Sounders, battered and bruised, emerged from Mexico City and the first 90 minutes of the CONCACAF Champions League final unscathed. Somehow.
After falling behind 2-0 to Liga MX side Pumas thanks to a controversial call and a bullet header from CCL leading scorer Juan Dinenno, the veteran Sounders squad battled back to draw level with nearly the final kick of the match, finishing all square and heading home to the friendly confines of Lumen Field with 90 minutes to earn the trophy.
Dinenno, who wasn’t even expected to play in the match, bagged a brace to put Pumas ahead on the evening, and Seattle could already feel the silverware slipping away. Raul Ruidiaz saw a golden chance to pull one back saved brilliantly by Alfredo Talavera, and it just felt like it wasn’t Seattle’s night.
Until suddenly, it was. A 73rd minute handball by Pumas substitute Sebastian Saucedo gave Seattle its eye on a comeback, and after Lodeiro barely dispatched that penalty off the hands of Talavera, it seemed the Sounders would have to settle for a one-goal deficit that still would have felt an acceptable result.
Deep into stoppage time, Cristian Roldan was petulantly kicked by Efrain Velarde, and Lodeiro equalized from the spot, this time with a much more triumphant blast.
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Sporting News will be following the match live and providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happen.
