Columbus Crew Beat Pumas on Penalties After 1-1 Draw, Top Group but Haven’t Clinched Knockouts
Nicholas Hagen’s decisive penalty stop earned Columbus the shootout win, leaving the club reliant on other teams’ remaining results to secure a knockout berth.
Overview
- The Crew drew 1-1 with Pumas UNAM on Tuesday and won the penalty shootout 3-2 after Tarun Karumanchi opened the scoring and Álvaro Argüello equalized late in the first half.
- Pumas played with 10 men from the 72nd minute after Luciano Herrera was sent off, a turning point that increased pressure on both sides late in regulation.
- Goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen made the key penalty save that decided the shootout and said the team would be watching other results to see if they clinch advancement.
- Columbus sits atop Group B with eight points and a +3 goal differential but has not clinched a knockout spot because other teams’ remaining matches and tiebreakers can still change the top four.
- Brais Méndez has scored in every match since joining Columbus and the Crew’s group run includes a 2-1 win over CF Pachuca, which recalls the club’s illness-marred loss to Pachuca in the 2024 Concacaf final.