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Nashville SC beats Real Salt Lake 2-1 on Sam Surridge's last-minute penalty kick goal
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- Nashville SC beats Real Salt Lake 2-1 on Sam Surridge's last-minute penalty kick goal
Twice in its past two games, Nashville SC had let its fortunes slip away with no time to spare. On Saturday at Geodis Park, it pulled off some late thievery of its own.
Sam Surridge scored on a penalty kick in the 91st minute and Nashville (4-3-1, 13 points) beat Real Salt Lake (3-5-0, nine points) 2-1 for its first come-from-behind win of the 2025 MLS season. Hany Mukhtar drew a foul in the box and handed the ball to Surridge, who smashed the ball into the middle of the net.
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It was as sharp a reversal possible from Nashville's most recent home game, which it lost 2-1 to FC Cincinnati after conceding a penalty in stoppage time, and also the 2-1 loss at Charlotte FC on April 5, in which the hosts scored twice after the 85th minute to send Nashville home empty-handed.
"We've been putting in good performances over the last couple weeks with the end result not going our way, and having to use those moments to learn from," Nashville coach B.J. Callaghan said. "Tonight we were able to take another mini-step forward."
Nashville heads west to face the Seattle Sounders on Saturday, April 19.
Playing without Walker Zimmerman
Nashville missed defender Walker Zimmerman, who suffered a concussion against Charlotte, and it was apparent when the defense struggled early and let RSL go up 1-0 on Dominik Marczuk 's 12th-minute goal. It was the first time in six matches that Nashville conceded the opening goal.
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But Daniel Lovitz headed home a corner kick in the 30th minute, and Nashville controlled the game from that point forward, finishing with 22 shots to RSL's 12. Callaghan thought midfielders Edvard Tagseth and Gaston Brugman were able to impact the game with their passing after the opening 20 minutes.
Callaghan also was impressed by the play of Jeisson Palacios, who started in place of Zimmerman, and the rest of the back line. Palacios, making his first MLS start and second appearance, flashed the ability to dribble and pass out of trouble, on occasion doing so higher up the field.
"It's a dynamic attacking team that they were up against, they send a lot of numbers forward," Callaghan said. "They handled a lot of situations and made good adjustments."
Missed opportunities
Had Nashville been more clinical in front of goal, the game wouldn't have come down to Surridge's right foot.
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Among NSC's missed chances: Tagseth had a shot ring off the crossbar in the second half. Brugman brought RSL goalie Rafael Cabral out of his net but couldn't find a teammate to pass to. Mukhtar shot straight at Cabral after a crisp transition sequence. Surridge missed a wide-open shot from the right side, and minutes later failed to find an open Mukhtar in the penalty box. The two attackers yelled at each other in clear frustration while heading off the field at halftime.
"That's two competitors that want to score goals," Callaghan said. "We talked together as a group of, yeah, there's gonna be frustration when you know there's goal-scoring chances out there . . . It was just about staying focused and seizing that moment when it arrives."
MORE: Could Nashville host 2031 Women's World Cup? What FIFA president Gianni Infantino said
Nashville exorcises penalty demons
Nashville went into Saturday just 1 of 4 on penalties this season: Mukhtar had made 1-of-3 spot kicks and Surridge had missed his lone attempt.
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After he was fouled, Mukhtar held on to the ball before handing it to Surridge in what Callaghan and Surridge both said was "gamesmanship." Real Salt Lake had no way of knowing, but Nashville had decided days ago that Surridge would be the penalty taker for the next game.
"I was confident that as long as I just hit it well and in that spot, it was in," Surridge said. "I knew (Cabral) was going to dive, so I just wanted to put it down the middle."
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville SC beats Real Salt Lake on last-minute Sam Surridge goal
