September 15, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Birmingham Legion FC News Release
BIRMINGHAM, AL – An intensely heated match between Legion FC and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC ended 2-1 on Saturday night at Protective Stadium as Birmingham earned its first win over the Riverhounds in club history. Pittsburgh led in the first half, then Legion answered in the second half with two goals to take all three points.
GOAL VIDEOS AND POST GAME COACH INTERVIEW
The massive win brings Legion FC up to fourth place in the USL Championship’s Eastern Conference standings – a vital position that, if secured at the quickly approaching season’s end, would allow the Three Sparks to host a first-round home playoff game.
The home side found the back of the net first in the 36th minute, when a great ball from forward Sadik Balarabe curved across the box to meet the striking foot of Juan Agudelo, but the goal was ruled offside in a decision that brought no delight to the home crowd as it was happening and especially after seeing the replay on the videoboard at Protective.
Minutes later, Pittsburgh’s Albert Dikwa would score from inside the box, bringing Birmingham down 0-1 at halftime, but the Magic City squad came into the second half with the offensive tenacity fans have come to expect and put up two goals to close the night.
Attacker Enzo Martinez, as he so often does with six opening goals for the Three Sparks, scored the first goal for the Boys in Black in the 50th minute to bring his club-leading tally this season up to 13. Pittsburgh mishit a clearance that fell to Martinez, who, standing at the near post, expertly chested the ball and slammed it above the ‘keeper into the back of the Hounds’ net.
Bham’s second goal would come in the 66th; a brilliant team goal that started from defender Alex Crognale in the back. Crognale found midfielder Bruno Lapa in the middle of the pitch, who slipped Martinez in behind the Black and Yellow’s defense to send a ball across the box into the feet of Balarabe. Balarabe, on first touch, hammered the ball into the top-left corner and scored his second goal of the year and his first game-winner, all in his first start for his new club. Martinez, on the other hand, netted his seventh assist of the season.
“The feeling [of getting the win] is great because there’s never the attitude of giving up [with this group],” said Martinez. “It’s never one of those games where you just quit. Even when we were down three, zero last week,…