Orlando City had their goalkeeper sent off in a bizarre penalty shootout but still beat New York City 6-5 on Saturday to advance to the conference semi-finals in a match marked by confusion and two false endings.
After the score finished 1-1 in regular time, Orlando stopper Pedro Gallese saved New York’s fifth spot kick from Valentin Castellanos to give them what they thought was a 4-3 win.
However, referee Allen Chapman ruled the kick be retaken as the Peruvian keeper was not on his line. An automatic yellow card was shown to Gallese, his second for the match, meaning a shock red card was awarded.
Orlando City’s Rodrigo Schlegel, an outfield, came to his side’s rescue in a penalty shootout
Schlegel’s save sparked wild, albeit premature celebrations, in the dramatic win over NYCFC
Orlando tried to bring on backup goalkeeper Brian Rowe but before the penalty was retaken were told they had already made all their substitutions, leaving defender Rodrigo Schlegel to don the keeper’s shirt and gloves.
Schlegel couldn’t stop Castellanos’ effort but made a save in sudden death to spark wild celebrations for a second time when Chapman blew the final whistle.
The official soon realised his error, however, as the score was still 5-5 and asked Orlando to take their next spot kick, which Benji Michel converted for the winning goal.
Pedro Gallese saved a spot kick but was sent off after the referee saw he had come off his line
Orlando’s first-choice stopper was bemused and his side were unable to make a substitution
‘I never had such an experience during a game, even an important game like that,’ Orlando’s Portuguese winger and former Manchester United star Nani said.
Orlando coach Oscar Pareja was not too happy on the sidelines during the 15 minutes of drama but said later he could only laugh after an ‘insane’ night.
‘I think we’ll need more time to calm down and reflect on what happened tonight,’ he told reporters after Orlando’s first ever playoff victory.
‘What just happened at the end, I never saw it before. And this is the beauty of this game – that we’re humans and full of emotions and mistakes and good things and all of that.’
The supporters inside the venue were treated to one of the most dramatic shootouts in history
