FC Buffalo men on wrong end of eight-goal thriller at Cleveland Force

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FC Buffalo lose to Cleveland Force 5-3 in a chaotic thriller at Krenzler Field in Ohio despite an Ander Castillo double, dropping FCB to 1-2 in the young 2024 USL League Two season.

Marko Rimac, from the left flank, crossed the ball through FCB’s backline and assisted Jack Roman as he tapped the ball into the net in the ninth minute to give Cleveland an early lead. 

Spanish striker Ander Castillo scored the first of his two goals when he curled in a freekick from outside the right-hand side of the 18-yard box in the 23rd minute.

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Cleveland bounced back to get a 2-1 lead when Gavin Csiszar from the left flank again crossed the ball inside the penalty areas as Jack Roman scored his second goal on the night in the 42nd minute. 

Three minutes later, German defender Fabian Overkamp displayed his flair when he drove forward into midfield and delivered a perfect through ball into Castillo, who ran in behind the Cleveland center backs. Castillo, positioned inside the right-hand side of the penalty box, slotted the ball into the bottom left corner of the net to give the Wolves a 2-2 scoreline before halftime. 

Castillo has scored six goals across all competitions this season.

[ RELATED: 2024 Men’s Stats ]

Csiszar would punish the Wolves’ defense again as he scored on a first-time volley outside the box four minutes into the second half. Rimac picked up his second assist in the match. 

Head coach Sean Hallas looked towards his six second-half substitutes to change the game and score another equalizer. 

However, a Wolves foul in the penalty area shifted the momentum back into Clevelands’s favor. Rimac stepped up to convert on the penalty in the 76th minute to give his team a comfortable 4-2 lead. 

Yet, with six minutes left until the 90th minute, substitutes Calum Newson and Matheus Spina combined to score FCB’s third goal. From the right flank, Spina crossed the ball inside the penalty area into Newson, who placed the ball into the top right corner of the net using his left foot. 

The Wolves would lose their Spanish talisman as the referee gave Castillo a red card in the 85th minute. He will miss next week’s crucial away match against first-place Fort Wayne. 

Csiszar would seal Cleveland’s 5-3 win and end the eight-goal thriller as he scored on a freekick from outside the top center of the penalty box in stoppage time. 

The Wolves return on the road to visit Fort Wayne for a 6:30 p.m. Saturday kickoff at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium. FCB will play their last match of this recent four-game away stretch and look to end the two-game losing streak after last Wednesday’s 10-man, 1-0 defeat at Toledo Villa and today’s loss.

[ RELATED: 10-Man FCB lose 1-0 at Toledo Villa ]