Orlando City advances to U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 with 3-1 win at Memphis
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Orlando City SC earned a 3-1 victory over Memphis 901 FC on Wednesday night to advance to the Round of 16 of the 2019 edition of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
Sacha Kljestan recorded a brace on the evening, his first as a Lion across all competitions. His two goals also served as his first in the Open Cup for City. Defender Robin Jansson rounded out the scoring for City on the night, finding the back of the net for the first time since joining the Lions earlier this season.
Head Coach James O’Connor:
“The first thing I’d like to do is pass on our thoughts and prayers to the Pulse families. I think that’s something that, as a football club, is extremely important to us - remembering the victims and their families. The first thing I want to do is pass on my thoughts and prayers to the families. In regards to the game, I thought Memphis played well and made it very difficult for us to break them down. They defended in numbers and it was a tough game for us. So we’re really pleased that we managed to get the win and get through to the next round.”
Scoring Recap:
38’ Sacha Kljestan (PK) - ORL 1, MEM 0
After City defender Shane O’Neill was taken down in the box by Memphis’s Abdi Mohamed, the Lions were awarded a penalty kick. Sacha Kljestan converted from the spot, burying a finish into the lower right corner past Memphis goalkeeper Scott Levene.
50’ Elliot Collier (Adam Najem) - ORL 1, MEM 1
The home side equalized off a corner kick from Adam Nejam that found the head of Elliot Collier on the near post, who flicked it over the head of Adam Grinwis to level the two sides.
54’ Sacha Kljestan (Cristian Higuita) - ORL 2, MEM 1
The Lions regain the lead off a combination play between Sacha Kljestan and Cristian Higuita. Kljestan strips the ball from Memphis in the Lions’ defensive half and takes his space up the middle before finding Higuita on the right side. Higuita then cut the ball across the face of goal for Kljestan who buries it give the Lions the lead once more.
71’ Robin Jansson - ORL 3, MEM 1
City doubled its with a goal from Robin Jansson, his first as a Lion. Chris Mueller whipped in a corner from the right side, that initially found the head of Kljestan. After a scramble in the box, Jansson got his foot on the end of it for the tap-in finish.