Revs Rise, NYCFC Fall: Campana and Ganago Fire New England Past Sluggish City

New England Revolution struck in both halves to dispatch New York City FC 2-0 on a cool Saturday night in Foxborough, extending their unbeaten run at home with a composed and clinical performance. Goals from Leo Campana and Ignatius Ganago, coupled with a dominant midfield display and resilient defending, left the visitors frustrated despite a late flurry of half-chances.

First Half: Campana Opens the Door

The match kicked off with intensity, as both teams sought to set the tone early. New England looked sharper from the start, and it didn’t take long before Carles Gil’s creativity began to influence proceedings.

In just the 3rd minute, Leo Campana had a golden opportunity with a 35% xG chance inside the box, but his right-footed strike was parried impressively by NYCFC keeper Matt Freese. The hosts continued to apply pressure through Campana, Ganago, and Mamadou Fofana, while NYCFC struggled to create clear chances—limited to speculative efforts from Alonso Martínez, Mitja Ilenic, and Kevin O'Toole, all of which flew off target with low xG.

After relentless pressure and a flurry of corners, the breakthrough finally arrived in the 43rd minute. Ganago held off his defender before laying the ball into the path of Campana, who rifled a left-footed strike past Freese from close range (xG: 18%), igniting the home crowd and sending New England into halftime with a deserved 1-0 lead.

Second Half: Ganago Doubles the Advantage

New York City made changes at the break, introducing Keaton Parks for Agustín Ojeda, but the Revs kept their foot on the gas. Just three minutes into the second half, they found their second.

After back-to-back corners from Gil, the final delivery caused chaos in the NYCFC box. Ganago pounced on the loose ball and drove home a right-footed effort from the center of the box (xG: 44%) into the bottom corner to make it 2-0 in the 48th minute. It was a just reward for a striker who had been a handful all evening.

New England maintained their composure and shape, absorbing occasional waves of NYCFC pressure. A slew of substitutions and free kicks punctuated the game, with the Revolution rotating fresh legs to preserve their advantage. Langoni and Brandon Bye came on in the 83rd minute to help lock things down, while NYCFC brought on Cavallo and Fernández in a desperate bid to spark something.

Late Push from NYCFC Falls Short

As the clock ticked down, NYCFC ramped up their attacking efforts. Perea, Haak, Fernández, and Parks all had shots blocked in a frantic final 15 minutes. Despite registering multiple attempts in and around the box—including a series of four attempts between the 88th and 90+7 minutes—all had one thing in common: they failed to breach the sturdy Revs defense.

The best of those late chances came from Alonso Martínez (85’) and Tayvon Gray (88’), but both efforts were expertly handled by New England goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic, who recorded four saves and a clean sheet.

The final whistle blew with the home side earning all three points and NYCFC left to rue a wasteful showing in the attacking third, where their xG never exceeded 4% on any individual shot.

Match Stats:

• Goals: New England 2 – 0 NYCFC

• xG (Expected Goals): New England 1.24 – 0.83 NYCFC

• Shots: New England 13 – 17 NYCFC

• Shots on Target: New England 5 – 4 NYCFC

• Corners: New England 7 – 5 NYCFC

• Saves: Ivacic (NE) 4 – Freese (NYCFC) 3

• Fouls: New England 13 – 12 NYCFC

• Yellow Cards: New England 1 – 1 NYCFC

Man of the Match: Ignatius Ganago (New England Revolution)

A goal, an assist, and a non-stop physical presence up front. Ganago was the heartbeat of New England’s attack, constantly threatening NYCFC’s backline and making decisive plays in both halves.

Manager Reactions:

Clint Peay (New England Revolution Head Coach):“Ignatius and Leo were brilliant tonight, but I’m just as proud of how we managed the game in the second half. That was a mature performance.”

Nick Cushing (NYCFC Head Coach):“We were second best in the key moments. Credit to New England, but we need more quality in the final third. The chances were there—we just didn’t take them.”