Columbus holds onto 1-0 win over New England despite late hand-ball controversy

FOXBOROUGH, MA– New England Revolution (0-1-1, 1 pts) were defeated 1-0 versus Columbus Crew (2-0-0, 6 pts) on Saturday night.

The match kicked off at 7:30 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium to a crowd of 20,000.

Starting Lineup v Columbus Crew.

New England starting lineup: 4-2-3-1 | Aljaž Ivačič, Ilay Feingold, Brayan Ceballos, Mamadou Fofana, Brandon Bye, Alhassan Yusuf, Jackson Yueill, Carles Gil (C), Luca Langoni, Ignatius Ganago, Leonardo Campana

New England substitutes:| Alex Bono, Wyatt Omsberg, Tanner Beason, Andrew Farrell, Noel Buck, Eric Klein, Jack Panayotou, Luis Diaz, Maxi Urruti

Columbus Crew starting lineup: 3-5-2 | Patrick Schulte, Steven Moreira, Yevhen Cheberko, Malte Amundsen, Mohamed Farsi, Dylan Chambost, Darlington Nagbe (C), Sean Zawadzki, Max Arfsten, Diego Rossi, Jacsen Russell-Rowe

Columbus Crew substitutes:| Marcelo Herrera, Aziel Jackson, DeJuan Jones, Derrick Jones, Evan Bush, Cole Mrowka, Tristan Brown, Owen Presthus, Chase Adams

Starting Lineup versus Columbus Crew.

The match kicked off with Columbus kicking off from the center circle and building out from the left side of the field.

New England had the first opportunity of the match when an over-the-top through ball by Carles Gil found Luca Langoni, however, his attempt to square it into the box for Leo Campana was cleared away.

In the 10th minute, Revolution defender Ilay Feingold was issued a yellow card for a harsh foul on Diego Rossi.

New England had the next chance of the match when a Carles Gil corner kick found the head of Leo Campana and was cleared off the line by Yevhen Cheberko.

Columbus Crew forward Jacen Russell-Rowe (19) chests the ball down during an MLS game between the New England Revolution and the Columbus Crew on March 1, 2025. (c) Burt Granofsky

Columbus’ first chance came in the 15th minute when a clearance attempt by Aljaž Ivačič was blocked by Jacsen Russell-Rowe. Ivačič recovered and re-claimed the ball.

New England’s next chance came in the 23rd minute when a free kick play by Jackson Yueill found Leo Campana making a darting run. His effort on goal was saved by Patrick Schulte and the ball was cleared out of the box.

In the 45th minute, Revolution forward Ignatius Ganago was issued a yellow card.

After 45+1 minutes, the match entered halftime with the scoreline level at 0-0.

Halftime between New England & Columbus.

The second half kicked off with New England starting from the center circle and built out of the back to begin the half.

Entering the 51st minute, Columbus took the lead.

Jacen Russell-Rowe opens the scoring for Columbus! 🇨🇦

📺 #MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/CQnTS3mreo pic.twitter.com/CZJro9iAnK

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 2, 2025

Defender Mohammed Farsi found forward Jacsen Russell-Rowe for the simple right-footed finish past Aljaž Ivačič for the 1-0 lead.

In the 59th minute, Columbus head coach Wilfried Nancy made his first change of the match by replacing Jacsen Russell-Rowe for Aziel “AZ” Jackson.

Columbus had the next best chance in the 63rd minute when Max Arfsten’s shot struck the post.

In the 61st minute, Revolution head coach Caleb Porter made his first two changes by replacing Brandon Bye and Luca Langoni with Will Sands and Luis Diaz.

New England Revolution goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic (31) calls out instructions during an MLS game between the New England Revolution and the Columbus Crew on March 1, 2025. (c) Burt Granofsky

Play was stopped in the 67th minute as goalkeeper Aljaz Ivačič received medical attention after stopping a shot. He received tape on his middle finger and continued.

In the 77th minute, Columbus Crew defender Max Arfsten was issued a yellow card for a foul on Carles Gil.

In the 82nd minute, Revolution head coach Caleb Porter made his third change of the match by replacing Jackson Yueill with Maxi Urruti.

In the 85th minute, Columbus Crew defender Malte Amundsen was issued a yellow card for a foul on Luis Diaz.

New England Revolution head coach Caleb Porter is left looking for answers during an MLS game between the New England Revolution and the Columbus Crew on March 1, 2025. (c) Burt Granofsky

Entering the 87th minute, New England were granted a penalty kick due to a handball. VAR intervened and no penalty was given.

In the 90+4 minute, Columbus Crew defender Sean Zawadzki was issued a yellow card for a foul on Luis Diaz.

New England’s next chance came after a shot from Maxi Urruti was easily saved by Patrick Schulte.

In the 90+8 minute, Revolution head coach Caleb Porter was issued a yellow card.

In the 90+10th minute, Columbus head coach Wilfried Nancy made his final change of the match by replacing Dylan Chambost with DeJuan Jones.

After the 90+10 minutes, the match concluded with Columbus holding on for a 1-0 victory.

Fulltime between New England & Columbus.

The New England Revolution (0-1-1, 1 pts.) will remain home as they are set to face off against Eastern Conference side Philadelphia Union (2-0-0, 6 pts). The match is set to kickoff at Gillette Stadium on Saturday, March 8th at 7:30 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app.

(Editor’s Note: For more of Burt Granofsky’s photos, click on the link)