The Columbus Clippers scored twice toward the end of the first half in their “Hell is Real” match against FC Cincinnati at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field Saturday to equalize, then take the lead over the Orange and Blue. The Crew dominated the action in the second half to come away with a 2-1 win. Here are our three takeaways from Saturday’s play:

1.    Jamal Thiaré was a force to be reckoned with as the Black & Gold flipped the momentum of the match in the waning moments of the first half. At 1-0 in Cincinnati’s favor, he just missed an opportunity in the six-yard box when his shot went over the net. He followed that up with an incredible header in the same range off a corner kick that went past Cincinnati keeper Roman Celentano.

2.   As Crew fans wait to see who will step into the scoring void left by the season-ending injury suffered by Wessam Abou Ali and the transfer of Diego Rossi, Thiaré’s play was certainly a positive sign. The Black & Gold also saw Daniel Gazdag and Max Arfsten contribute throughout Saturday’s action in ways that gave the faithful hope going forward. It was Gazdag’s penalty kick, resulting from a foul taken by Arfsten, that gave the Crew the lead.

3.   The match did not end cleanly. Cincinnati’s Gerardo Valenzuela took out Taha Habroune on the endline as stoppage time wound down. It appeared that Valenzuela did not play the ball, but rather Habroune’s legs, in the takedown and a number of the Crew took exception. Mohamed Farsi in particular wanted to press the issue and ended up chasing Valenzuela and his teammates up the tunnel. Will memories fade before the Black & Gold play at Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium on October 18?