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Upon first experience, I personally thought that New York City FC was thoroughly outplayed on Saturday by Orlando City and that their 1-1 draw was a fortunate result for them. But since the game, further evaluation has me a bit more sweet on the result.
And apparently, I’m not the only one.
In his post-game presser, Ronny Deila did acknowledge the 1-1 draw as a fair result. But the Norwegian manager also thought that if there was to be a winner, NYCFC deserved the three points.
After the game, Ronny Deila told the media that despite Orlando controlling the ball, he thought #NYCFC "controlled the game in chances." And to be fair, that's not a bad assessment. Nani's goal was a piece of brilliance, but overall, City held strong at the back.
— Hudson River Blue (@hudsonriverblue) May 9, 2021
“I think if you see the game, I think 1-1 is OK,” Deila told the media Saturday night. “But if somebody is gonna win, it has to be us because we had so many chances... we really should’ve scored more.”
The normally stoic Deila did point to several missed opportunities for NYCFC’s attack, including Jesus Medina’s chance to steal the win at the end with a 1-v-1 opportunity that was saved by Orlando’s keeper..
Esto que hizo @pedrogallese vale tanto como un gol, como lo narra @ruizsergio en la transmisión en español.
— Nación Púrpura (@nacionpurpura) May 9, 2021
La salvada del juego, en el último minuto, para preservar el empate de @OrlandoCity
Gallese sólo ha recibido 2 goles en 4 juegos. #VamosOrlando #OrlandoCity pic.twitter.com/RSimtDlJAS
“Taty [Castellanos] had three chances and scored one. The last one with Jesus [Medina] was so big. So they controlled the ball, but we controlled the game without the ball... when you force the opponent [and] win 4-1 in goal chances away, then you deserve to get more than one [point]. But having said that, I think one point is also good. It was a tight game. A very good football game.”
In my second viewing of the game, I noticed that while City were slow off the blocks and conceded early in the second half to what can only be described as a brilliant goal for Orlando’s Nani, NYCFC quickly grew into the game and created several close chances that could’ve easily given them the win. These include the penalty drawn by Ismael Tajouri-Shradi which was converted by Taty Castellanos. Taty had another big shot moments later that just narrowly curved beyond the far post. And, of course, Medina’s big miss at the end.
Other than Nani’s world class finish from outside the area, Orlando failed to really break down City’s back line and were limited to maybe one big chance.
Another important storyline was that City were missing both Maxi Moralez and Alfredo Morales, two midfielders that have established themselves as important players to NYCFC’s style of play. To get that kind of result on the road without their services will surely please fans.