CINCINNATI, OHIO, USA — A raucous TQL Stadium erupted in the final ten minutes as FC Cincinnati dismantled Atlanta United FC 2-0 in a gripping MLS Cup Playoffs knockout clash, with Kévin Denkey's clinical 80th-minute finish and Nick Hagglund's towering 90th-minute header delivering a famous home victory. For long stretches, this looked destined for extra time, but Cincinnati's late surge proved devastating, ending Atlanta's playoff campaign in the cruelest fashion.
The match had the hallmarks of a classic playoff stalemate for much of its duration — tense, physical, and frustratingly goalless. Atlanta United arrived at TQL Stadium with genuine belief, and Miguel Almirón announced their intentions as early as the 7th minute, driving a left-footed effort from outside the box that Roman Celentano gathered comfortably in the centre of his goal. It was a warning shot that briefly silenced the home faithful, but Cincinnati absorbed the early pressure with composure.
The hosts grew into the contest and began to assert themselves as the half progressed. Gerardo Valenzuela was a persistent presence in midfield, winning free kicks and driving Cincinnati forward, while Ender Echenique provided energy and creativity on the flanks. The visitors, however, remained disciplined and dangerous on the counter, with Almirón and Saba Lobjanidze probing for openings that Celentano and his backline refused to concede.
The second half continued in the same vein — a taut, attritional battle with both sides unable to find the breakthrough. Denkey came agonizingly close in the 56th minute, rattling the right post with a right-footed drive from the centre of the box after a neat lay-off from Valenzuela. The woodwork shuddered, the crowd gasped, and Atlanta breathed a collective sigh of relief. Almirón tested Celentano again in the 61st minute, this time from inside the box, but the Cincinnati goalkeeper was equal to it, diving to his bottom left to palm the effort away — one of three saves on the night that proved pivotal to the outcome.
Atlanta's frustration began to manifest in the foul count. Steven Alzate was booked in the 61st minute for a reckless challenge, and Tomás Jacob followed him into the referee's notebook in the 51st minute. The visitors committed 18 fouls across the 90 minutes compared to Cincinnati's 10, a figure that spoke to the mounting desperation as the clock ticked on.
Then, with ten minutes remaining, the dam finally broke. Echenique burst forward on a lightning fast break, threading a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Denkey, who swept a composed left-footed finish from the left side of the six-yard box into the centre of the goal. TQL Stadium detonated. The goal was a reward for Cincinnati's patience and relentless pressing, and it visibly deflated an Atlanta side that had worked so hard to stay level.
Atlanta pushed forward in search of an equalizer, with Emmanuel Latte Lath and Tristan Muyumba — both introduced as substitutes — throwing themselves into the attack. But Cincinnati were not finished. Deep into stoppage time, Bryan Ramírez whipped a cross into the box from a corner, and Hagglund rose magnificently to power a header into the top right corner. It was a moment of pure, unbridled joy — the captain delivering when it mattered most, sealing the 2-0 scoreline and sending the home crowd into delirium.
The statistics told the story of a match Cincinnati ultimately controlled. They edged possession 53.9% to 46.1%, registered 10 shots to Atlanta's 8, and won 5 corners to their opponents' 2. Both sides managed 3 shots on target, but it was Cincinnati's clinical finishing in the final ten minutes that proved the difference. Celentano's 3 saves were crucial in keeping the sheet clean during Atlanta's second-half pressure spells.
Confidence will be high when Cincinnati face Universidad O&M on February 25, while Atlanta United must regroup quickly and turn their attention to a trip to San Jose Earthquakes on February 28, searching for answers after a playoff exit that will sting for some time.