“Chicho” nets 17th goal of season, Luna adds a goal and 3 assists as RSL beats Atlanta 5-2
SANDY, Utah (AP) — Christian “Chicho” Arango scored his MLS-leading 17th goal of the season, Diego Luna added a goal and three assists and Real Salt Lake beat Atlanta United 5-2 Saturday night.
Chicho’s header off a corner kick was blocked by defender Derrick Williams but Braian Ojeda was there for the putback, spinning as he whipped a volley into the net to give Real Salt Lake a 2-1 lead in the 59th minute.
Chicho scored on a header, off a perfectly-placed free kick by Luna, in the 68th and Alexandros Katranis played a one-touch shot off a corner kick by Luna that found the net in the 78th minute and made it 4-1.
Daniel Ríos answered moments later, heading home a cross by Brooks Lennon from the right side to the back post in the 80th before Luna capped the scoring in the 84th minute, when he scored from the center of the area.
Atlanta (6-10-6), which had a four-game unbeaten streak snapped by a 2-1 to the New England Revolution last time out, has lost back-to-back games.
Salt Lake (12-3-7) has just one loss in its last 18 games, dating to a 2-1 home loss to the Colorado Rapids on March 9.
Ojeda, racing down the middle of the field, pushed a pass wide to Luna, who played a one-touch cross to the center of the area where a charging Matt Crooks put away a half-volley to give Real Salt Lake a 1-0 lead just 43 seconds into the game — the fifth-fastest goal in franchise history.
Saba Lobjanidze scored in the 31st minute to make it 1-1. Lobjanidze, working from left to right, tapped a pass to Ríos, who back-heeled it back to Lobjanidze for the one-touch finish from the center of the area in the 31st minute.
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