Djordje Mihailović Brace Leads Rapids to Home win

COMMERCE CITY – Never doubt the Colorado Rapids at home against LAFC. No matter what their form is like. No matter how overpowered LAFC appears to be. The Burgundy Boys have once again surprised the soccer world. On Easter weekend, Djordje Mihailović rose to the occasion.

The lineup from Chris Armas had some fresh faces. Kévin Cabral made his first start since last September, on the left. Moïse Bombito was back from international duty, starting on his 24th birthday. He was joined at the back by Andreas Maxsø, who was wearing a black mask, because of a broke nose. Wayne Frederick II was on the bench for the first time.

The first half was a pleasant surprise for the denizens of DSGP. It was energetic and filled with chances for both sides.

Denis Bouanga hit the crossbar on a shot from a wide angle in the opening minutes. Goalkeeper Zack Steffen had some trouble with it, looking into the sun. A minute later, Eduard Atuesta scored cutting inside off a corner. Cabral could have done better marking him.

Colorado was most dangerous on set pieces. Andreas Maxsø had an open look on a corner but had trouble with it. He appeared to be having troubles with his mask. Cole Bassett took a direct free kick in the 26th that went wide of the far post.

It was birthday boy Bombito who tied the game in the 38th. He got a header from a Djordje Mihailović corner at the near post. Hugo Lloris got his hands on it, but it had enough power to find the net. The half ended 1-1 with Steffen coming his line to deny Cristian Olivera on a breakaway.

The second half was more stretched but slower to start. Timothy Tillman and Bouanga both had chances. Captain Keegan Rosenberry had a knockdown header on a corner that bounced over the crossbar. Substitute Darren Yapi had an off balance back heel inside the six in the 65th.

Substitute David Martínez scored in the 76th, cutting inside and picking out the bottom left corner in his debut.

What happened next was nothing short of extraordinary. Omir Fernandez won a free kick from just outside the box in the final 10 minutes. The maligned and moody Mihailović stepped up and buried the free kick in the far top corner.

Two minutes later, Martínez was sent off for a second yellow for poor sportsmanship, kicking the ball away after being called for a foul. This was part of the newly implemented in-game rules that were passed in preseason and only implemented with the regular PRO referees back this week.

Up a man, Colorado pushed for a winner. In the 90th, Kimani Stewart-Baynes headed down a cross to Mihailović, who kneed it past Lloris. The Rapids saw out six minutes of stoppage time to win it 3-2.

Moïse Bombito birthday brilliance! Cabral dances.

Bombito’s rise continues. He’s an impact player for the Rapids in his second professional season. He’s making the bench for the national team. European scouts are keeping tabs on him. Now he’s scored a goal. And to think three years ago, he was playing community college soccer in nowhere Iowa.

“It’s the master of the basics. It’s so much more about doing the little things right. Then let your speed and shear ability take over. Putting out fires. He gets us a goal and he’s dancing in the locker room,” Armas told Burgundy Wave with a smile.

“He looked at me and said ‘today’s the day,’ Bombito said of set piece and goalkeeper coach Chris Sharpe. “I saw that the first post was wide open for me. I was just waiting for Djordje to put that ball in the spot. Now I just got to put it in the first post and hopefully it’s going to go in. Against a top goalkeeper like Hugo Lloris. It’s crazy to me that I scored on him. I just celebrated. I had no idea what was going on.”

He and Cabral had a nice moment, dancing together on the sideline. The Frenchman wanted to make sure Bombito did not forget his mom with all the emotions from full time. Cabral himself had a good performance as a starter. Linkup play was good as was the defensive work rate. Like others, he’s still not good enough in the final third.

When asked what he needed to keep working on, Cabral responded “be secure with the ball. Listen to the things(Armas) told us, how we all move together, how we shift. Even if he didn’t tell me to come back to defend, I will do it for my teammates.”

“Kévin was on it offensively, defensively. After a corner kick that we had, he had a great recovering run and made that slide tackle. The mentality that he brought to the game was fantastic,” Bombito said of his teammate.

Djordje Mihailović brace! Finally!

Goodness, Djordje needed all three of those goal contributions and the win. He had two big moments in this game and he finally made them count. There’s still work to do, but this is a step in the right direction.

“”I’m happy to finally score. More happy to finally win at home in front of the fans. Credit to the team because we never gave up,” he said. “Joy. Relief. It was always going to come. It’s good that it happened the way it did.”

“The free kick, finally one goes it. It’s always difficult when there’s a lot of bodies in front of goal.”

He thanked KSB for the assist as well.

“I had so much time on the ball. I was this close to taking it down and scoring, or at least shooting. I see Djordje in the corner of my eye. It was no brainer to just put it down in the box,” the winter told Burgundy Wave.

To do it with his significant other and parents at the game, even better. Between him and Bombito, it was a great day for Rapids players who had family in attendance.

Imperfect performance, but finally a win!

The base offense still isn’t clicking. Rafael Navarro remains on an island for long stretches. They were slow and predictable in the final third. Composure on the ball needs to be better. This team has not been a pressing monster. Bassett was energetic but poor in the final third.

But this match was about moments, not high level trends. Maybe this Rapids squad needs to fake it till they make it. Mihailović needed that assist and brace. Cabral did not look out of place. They need to get a few other guys clicking offensively. The defense was solid but there’s still issues to work out there too.

“I know there was the first four or five a lot of questions about this team from the fans, from media. Going forward, I’d like to say this a good jumping off point that we can use. We enjoy this but we have to move on quick,” Mihailović added.

“We can’t take shortcuts. We’ve got to stay tuned in. We got to put fires out and prevent opportunities. I know what the players in front of me can do. I’m going to continue to push them and visa versa.”

Oli Larraz was a dog in midfield. He played well again, although Armas joked that he’ll get on the ginger for avoiding a few tackles. Also, it was good to see Kei Kamara come off the bench at the end for the visitors.

Photo Credit: John Babiak

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