Fernandez the hero as New York City FC takes down Columbus 3-2 at Yankee Stadium

BY: EDDIE KALEGI

New York City FC just doesn’t quit. Despite falling behind twice, the home side rallied. Not only did Hannes Wolf notch his fourth career brace to tie the match in the second half, but Julian Fernandez delivered in stoppage time, scoring a last-minute strike to lift City to a 3-2 victory over Columbus, vaulting to fifth in the Eastern Conference table to commence a challenging three-game homestand.

The boys in blue were dealt a bit of fortune prior to tonight’s fixture, as it was announced that Columbus would be without the services of Diego Rossi due to injury. Rossi leads the club with 16 goals this season, and was coming off a first half hat trick in Saturday’s win over Atlanta United, a match where the Crew became the first team in Major League Soccer history to find the back of the net five times in the first half of a road game. Even with this missing piece, coupled with the fact that these teams played to a scoreless draw back in March, offense undoubtedly played a big role in this one.

City Generates Pressure Early

In their aforementioned meeting earlier this year in Ohio, Wilfried Nancy’s Columbus Crew held New York City FC without a shot on goal, definitively outshooting them by 19 attempts overall. After a sluggish first few minutes, City finally broke the seal, as Patrick Schulte was challenged by Andres Perea in the 27th minute, as Maxi Moralez, Alonso Martinez, and Kevin O’Toole all had high percentage opportunities of their own. All told, New York City had six first half shots, more than they had in the match’s entirety in that prior encounter with Columbus in March.

Late First Half Scoring Surge

After a relatively lowkey first 35 minutes of play, the final moments of the first half were frenzied. Aiden O’Neill fouled Wessam Abou Ali at the edge of the box, resulting in a penalty. The seemingly automatic Daniel Gazdag delivered after being gifted a penalty kick, converting his 38th in 39 tries in his MLS career.

This could have been a deflating moment for the boys in blue, but this group, while results have been unpredictable, is undeniably resilient. In first half stoppage time, just before the whistle blew, Hannes Wolf slipped one past Patrick Schulte to level the match. Following more than two scoreless hours between these clubs in 2025, each side conceded in an eight minute span.

Lightning Strikes Twice

The match had seemingly calmed down as the second half began, but perhaps New York City’s defense was lulled into a sense of comfort. A lackluster clearance opened the door for Columbus, who put themselves back in front off of a Wessam Abou Ali header in the 60th minute.

But it was deja vu all over again for New York City FC. Moments after conceding the go-ahead goal, the boys in blue clapped back with a vengeance, all thanks to Hannes Wolf, who drilled a one-timer from the center of the box to once again even the score.

The Game-Winner

From here, it appeared that the pace of the match had slowed. With several substitutions made, it seemed like both defenses were playing for the draw. But with under a minute to play, an opportunity presented itself for New York City FC.

Agustin Ojeda launched a counter, and connected with Julian Fernandez as the hosts had numbers. The 21 year-old forward, who hadn’t scored in 20 matches, found the perfect time to end the drought, drawing Patrick Schulte out of net and sniping the winner past him for his third goal of the season. A monumental come-from-behind victory for City, who jumped Columbus and Inter Miami in the standings with the victory, making a postseason appearance closer to a certainty.

Looking Ahead

It’s hard to believe, but only five matches remain in the regular season for New York City FC. Lionel Messi makes his visit to the Empire State in one week’s time, but before the international star draws droves of fans to Queens, the boys in blue will host Charlotte FC Saturday, a tough test against the third best team in the Eastern Conference. It’s an early start at Yankee Stadium, with live radio coverage beginning at 11:45 A.M. ahead of a 12:00 P.M. kick with Glenn Crooks and Matty Lawrence on the call at newyorkcityfc.com/radio.