CINCINNATI — Junior Moreno scored the go-ahead goal in the 67th minute and FC Cincinnati held on to defeat the rival Columbus Crew 3-2 on Saturday night.
Luciano Acosta scored a pair of first-half goals for Cincinnati (9-1-3), which has now won eight straight matches at home. The team sits atop the Eastern Conference standings.
Lucas Zelarayan and Malte Amundson both scored for the Crew (5-5-3), who lost to Cincinnati for the first time since 2020 in the so-called “Hell is Real” rivalry.
Acosta gave Cincinnati the lead in the 16th minute, then doubled it in the 23rd when he converted on a penalty kick.
Zelarayan scored his sixth goal of the season for the Crew in the 40th, finishing off a cross from Cucho Hernandez.
The Crew tied it early in the second half on a rebound goal from Amundsen, who was making his second start for Columbus this season.
Moreno's goal paved the way for Cincinnati to claim just its second victory in the series. Goalkeeper Roman Celentano finished with five saves in the victory.
