By Kian Silva
FIVE-STAR SECOND HALF: RED BULLS ROAR BACK TO STUN REVOLUTION IN AN 8-GOAL THRILLER AT SPORTS ILLUSTRATED STADIUM
HARRISON, NJ — July 17, 2025 — On a night that began with heavy rain and fireworks, it was the New York Red Bulls who delivered the real spectacle on the pitch. After trailing by two goals in the first half, the Red Bulls mounted a relentless comeback to defeat the New England Revolution 5–3 in front of their home crowd.
The match kicked off with the Revolution taking early control. In the 6th minute, a moment of miscommunication between New England’s forwards allowed for a defensive misclearance by the Red Bulls. The loose ball falls to Leonardo Campana, who slots it calmly into the bottom left corner, giving New England the early lead. New York responded with intensity and attacking intent but failed to capitalize on several opportunities throughout the first half. Emil Forsberg, Choupo Moting, and Donkor were all heavily involved in trying to spark a response, but their efforts were either off-target or stopped by goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic.
New England appeared to double their lead in the 21st minute when Campana once again found the back of the net off a corner kick, but the goal was overturned after video review showed a handball in the buildup. However, the visitors would not be denied much longer. In the 31st minute, a dangerous cross from Brandon Bye led to chaos in the box. Campana’s backheel attempt was saved by Carlos Coronel, but the rebound fell to Luca Langoni, whose shot ricocheted off the post before Kyle Duncan inadvertently turned the ball into his own net, giving the Revolution a 2–0 advantage.
Despite the deficit, the Red Bulls maintained composure. A few half chances before the break, including a close-range effort from Carmona and a late free-kick routine, hinted that the home side wasn’t finished yet. The halftime whistle sounded with New England up 2–0, but New York far from out.
The second half was a different story.
New York emerged from the locker room with renewed purpose and began to dictate the tempo. Their persistence paid off in the 56th minute when Donkor played Carmona down the right wing. Carmona cut inside and fired a shot that was blocked, but the rebound fell back to Donkor, who calmly laid it off to Daniel Edelman. His deflected effort found the back of the net, pulling one back for the Red Bulls and injecting new life into the home side.
Moments later, the Red Bulls delivered a moment of pure brilliance that electrified the Harrison crowd. Sofo beat his defender and drove into space, before slotting a perfectly weighted ball into the feet of Donkor, who, with a flash of creativity, executed a slick backheel flick into the path of Emil Forsberg arriving at the top of the box. Forsberg looked set to shoot, but instead, with great vision, he threaded a pass through a tight window to Choupo Moting inside the area. The striker didn’t hesitate, calmly slotting the ball past a diving Ivacic to bring the match level at 2–2.
Just two minutes later, it was Forsberg’s turn to shine. After receiving a clever pass from Gjengaar at the top of the box, the Swedish international took the shot this time and rifled the ball into the bottom left corner, his ninth goal of the season. The quick-fire goals turned the match on its head, giving New York a 3–2 lead in the 72nd minute.
The Red Bulls weren’t done.
In the 84th minute, Donkor again found himself in the heart of the action. After a rebound off a Gjengaar shot, Donkor reacted first and found Choupo Moting inside the area, who finished confidently for his second goal of the night. The Red Bulls now led 4–2, and the energy inside the stadium was electric.
Two minutes later, Donkor once again featured in action, winning the ball, playing a one-two with Gjengaar, and slipping rising star, Julian Hall, in behind the defense. Hall was brought down in the box by New England’s Hughes, who was shown a yellow card. Emil Forsberg stepped up to take the penalty and slotted it coolly into the bottom left corner, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way. With a goal and two assists, Forsberg had taken full command of the match, as a leader and captain should.
New England pulled one back in stoppage time through Campana, who completed his brace after capitalizing on a defensive miscue by Hack. However, the Red Bulls had already done enough. The final whistle blew at 90+8 with the scoreboard reading 5–3 in favor of the hosts.
FINAL SCORE: NY Red Bulls 5 - 3 NE Revolution
Goals: NYRB: Edelman (56’), Choupo Moting (70’, 84’), Forsberg (72’, 87’ PK)
NER: Campana (6’, 90+3’), Own Goal (Duncan, 31’)
Contributed bt Kian Silva