5 – 0
“Quinn Sullivan converts a penalty to give Philadelphia the lead after a blocked shot and corner sequence.”
Pivotal“Bruno Damiani doubles the lead right before halftime, assisted by Cavan Sullivan.”
Pivotal“Damiani completes his hat-trick, capping a dominant spell that put the game beyond doubt.”
Pivotal“Milan Iloski converts a late penalty to restore the five-goal margin after Cincinnati's brief consolation.”
Philadelphia Union
Cincinnati
Outstanding performance
Philadelphia Union•AttackerPhiladelphia Union's night was defined by Obinna Nwobodo's 16th-minute red card, which handed them a numerical advantage they ruthlessly exploited for the remaining 74 minutes. Quinn Sullivan's penalty just before halftime opened the floodgates, and Bruno Damiani took over from there, scoring three times between the 45th and 61st minutes to turn a promising fixture into a rout. The Union's dominance was total on the stat sheet - 67% possession, 20 shots to Cincinnati's solitary attempt, and a staggering 74 dangerous attacks compared to 19 - reflecting a match that was effectively decided by the red card and never competitive again. Cincinnati's brief flicker of hope came through Pavel Bucha's consolation goal, but Milan Iloski's late penalty restored the emphatic scoreline and sealed a result that will sting heading into their remaining fixtures.
How entertaining was this match?
Milan IloskiMilan Iloski scores with a right-footed shot.
Goal - Penalty - Milan Iloski 5-0
Yellow card shown to Brian Anunga Tah.
Offside.
Pavel BuchaVAR decision: Goal disallowed for offside against Pavel Bucha.
Goal! Pavel Bucha scores, making it 4-1.
Malik Jakupovic takes a left-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Samuel Gidi is substituted for Ayoub Jabbari.
Alejandro Bedoya is on, and Cavan Sullivan is off.
Malik Jakupovic comes on for Bruno Damiani.
Goal! The score is now 5-0.
Bruno DamianiBruno Damiani scores with a right-footed shot.
Goal! Bruno Damiani scores, making it 5-0.
The first half ends with a score of 2-0.
Bruno DamianiVAR decision results in a disallowed goal due to a handball by Bruno Damiani.
Indiana Vassilev takes a right-footed shot, but it misses the target.
Bruno Damiani's header is blocked.
Cavan Sullivan takes a left-footed shot, but it's blocked.
Milan Iloski takes a right-footed shot that hits the post.
Milan Iloski takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Indiana Vassilev is on, and Quinn Sullivan is off.
On comes Jesus Bueno, off goes Jovan Lukic.
Milan Iloski comes on for Ezekiel Alladoh.
Brian Anunga Tah is substituted off for Gerardo Valenzuela.
Bruno DamianiBruno Damiani scores with a left-footed shot.
assist: Cavan Sullivan
Goal! Bruno Damiani scores to make it 4-0, assisted by Cavan Sullivan.
Cavan Sullivan takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Shot - Bruno Damiani Head Shot Missed
Corner awarded.
Bruno DamianiBruno Damiani scores with a left-footed shot.
assist: Quinn Sullivan
Goal! Bruno Damiani scores to make it 3-0, assisted by Quinn Sullivan.
Nick Hagglund is on, and Ender Echenique is off.
On comes Tom Barlow, and off goes Ahoueke Steeve Kevin Denkey.
Alvas Powell comes on for Evander da Silva Ferreira.
Francis Westfield takes a right-footed shot, but it misses.
Danley Jean Jacques takes a right-footed shot, but it's saved.
Corner awarded.
assist: Cavan Sullivan
Goal! Bruno Damiani scores to make it 2-0, assisted by Cavan Sullivan.
Bruno DamianiBruno Damiani scores with a right-footed shot.
Cavan Sullivan takes a left-footed shot but misses.
Quinn Sullivan Quinn Sullivan scores with a right-footed shot.
Goal in the penalty shootout! Quinn Sullivan scores, making it 1-0.
EvanderYellow CardYellow card issued to Evander da Silva Ferreira.
Quinn Sullivan's right-footed shot is blocked.
Corner awarded.
Ezekiel Alladoh takes a right-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Corner awarded.
Ezekiel Alladoh attempts a header but misses the shot.
Corner awarded.
Corner awarded.
Ahoueke Steeve Kevin Denkey attempts a header but misses the shot.
Quinn Sullivan takes a right-footed shot, but it is blocked.
Obinna NwobodoRed CardRed card shown to Obinna Nwobodo.
Obinna NwobodoYellow CardYellow card issued to Obinna Nwobodo.
Offside.
Bruno Damiani attempts a header but misses the shot.
Quinn Sullivan takes a right-footed shot but misses.
Offside.
Kick-off! The referee is Joseph Dickerson.
Philadelphia Union, riding a shutout win and a rejuvenated push into the playoff picture, host FC Cincinnati at Subaru Park in a fixture that's quietly become one of MLS's spiciest recent rivalries. With Cavan Sullivan in red-hot form and both sides jostling in the Eastern Conference table, this midweek clash carries real postseason weight.
