Nashville SC scored two first-half goals to double their aggregate lead and they cruised past visiting Atletico Ottawa 5-0 on Tuesday to win their CONCACAF Champions Cup first-round series 7-0.
Nashville advances to a Round of 16 matchup against the reigning MLS Cup champion, Inter Miami.
In the 21st minute, Nashville SC’s Matthew Corcoran lofted a cross into the center of the box, and teammate Woobens Pacius’ header was saved by Garissone Innocent. Alex Muyl was there to tap in the rebound, giving the hosts a 3-0 aggregate edge over their Canadian counterparts.
Fifteen minutes later, Corcoran’s long pass found Jordan Knight racing alone down the right flank, and Knight’s right-footed shot beat Innocent.
Pacius (55th minute), Jack Maher (63rd minute) and Ahmed Qasem (83rd minute) rounded out the scoring.
Los Angeles FC 1, Real Espana 0
Nkosi Tafari’s 64th-minute goal in Los Angeles put the finishing touches on LAFC’s 7-1 aggregate victory.
LAFC, who logged a 6-1 win on Feb. 17 in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, move on to face Costa Rica’s Alajuelense in the Round of 16.
The game’s only goal came off a set piece. Tyler Boyd’s free kick from the right side sailed to the back post, where Timothy Tillman had his shot saved by Real Espana goalie Luis Lopez. Tafari beat Lopez and two defenders to the rebound, and he slammed it into the roof of the net from close range.
Los Angeles FC goalkeeper Thomas Hasal was credited with two saves.
–Field Level Media
