A hard-fought victory for Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium last night! They edged out the Vancouver Whitecaps 1-0 in a closely contested match.
Real Salt Lake, playing at home, controlled a majority of the possession (51%), creating 13 shots. The game was a battle of wills with shots taking place from all areas of the field. The home side had 8 shots inside the box and 5 outside the box, in comparison to Vancouver's 8 shots inside and 3 outside the box. There were some exciting moments, especially a crucial goal in the 75th minute by J. Martínez , assisted by J. Plata.
Vancouver Whitecaps put up a strong fight, with a strong effort of their own. They kept possession for 49% of the match and had a few strong chances, however, they were thwarted by some excellent goalkeeping and skillful defending by Real Salt Lake. Their effort to push into the final 20 minutes was seen by the yellow card received by Octavio Rivero and the substitution of Aird.
The match was full of intensity and showcased the passion of both teams. Real Salt Lake’s strategy of controlling the midfield paid off in the end, resulting in a well-deserved victory. A great game for the fans at Rio Tinto Stadium!