Jul 13, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Nashville SC midfielder Hany Mukhtar (10) and D.C. United midfielder Martin Rodriguez (14) battle for the ball in the first half at Audi Field. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-USA TODAY Sports
Cristian Dajome recorded a brace in a four-minute span and D.C. United snapped an 11-match winless run by rallying for a 2-1 victory over visiting Nashville SC on Saturday night.
Dajome’s second and third goals of the season came in the 51st and 55th minutes, respectively, for D.C. (5-11-8, 23 points), which had gone 0-8-3 in its past 11 matches. D.C. United’s latest victory had come on May 11, a 3-2 win over Atlanta United.
Dajome joins Christian Benteke as the only D.C. players to score at least two goals in a match this season.
Tyler Boyd put Nashville (6-9-8, 26 points) in front in the 19th minute but couldn’t prevent the visitors from their fourth straight loss. Nashville SC have conceded 10 goals during their skid.
While Benteke, who has 14 goals on the season, didn’t find the back of the net on Saturday, he was heavily involved in D.C.’s equalizer, winning a header off a corner kick and sending the ball downward into the 6-yard box.
That’s where Dajome was, and he redirected Benteke’s header past Nashville goalkeeper Joe Willis from close range.
Dajome then pushed his team in front four minutes later thanks to some individual brilliance.
After Martin Rodriguez and Pedro Santos combined to find Dajome, the forward dribbled forward to the edge of the 18-yard box, then unleashed a swerving right-footed strike that overpowered Willis on its way to the top right corner of the net.
Dajome’s heroics rescued a D.C. side that defended poorly in conceding the first goal of the match.
Daniel Lovitz aimed his throw-in toward Teal Bunbury on the left side of the penalty area, and Bunbury flicked his header further across the goalmouth.
Boyd split two D.C. defenders to reach the ball and beat goalkeeper Alex Bono from close range with a first-touch strike for his second goal of the season.
But Nashville struggled to create much pressure from there. D.C. United outshot the visitors 18-10 and put seven attempts on target to Nashville SC’s three.
–Field Level Media
