Union just barely beat Saprissa in a wild Concacaf Champions Cup series finale

It was a much wilder night than it needed to be, but the Union did just enough to edge past Costa Rican club Deportivo Saprissa and advance to the round of 16 in the Concacaf Champions Cup.

Saprissa led 3-2 after 90 minutes in Tuesday’s series finale at Subaru Park, the same score that the Union won by in Costa Rica last week. That meant 30 minutes of extra time, and Mikael Uhre scored what proved to be the series winner — 6-5 on aggregate — in the 94th minute.

The goals in regulation came from, in order: Saprissa’s Luis Paradela (a 13th-minute penalty kick), the Union’s Julián Carranza (16th) and Quinn Sullivan (25th), then Saprissa’s Warren Madrigal (28th) and Mariano Torres (62nd).

The Union will face Mexico’s Pachuca next, starting Tuesday at Subaru Park (7 p.m., TV TBD). And the home team will be severely shorthanded, as Jack Elliott was ejected for a lunge at the end of regulation and Damion Lowe drew his second yellow card of the series in extra time.

There was always going to be lineup rotation, and much of it was expected: Jack Elliott in at centerback and Jesús Bueno in at central midfield. But there was a surprise at forward, as newcomer Markus Anderson started alongside Julián Carranza.

Anderson was off to the races in the first minute, breaking away after a nice bit of hold-up play and a give-and-go with Dániel Gazdag. Two Saprissa defenders got back to close Anderson down, but he was able to do enough to win a corner kick.

» READ MORE: What to know about new Union forward Markus Anderson

He played some defense too, with a clutch goal-line header clearance after a Saprissa free kick in the 23rd minute. The 5-foot-10, 20-year-old Brooklyn, N.Y., native has some hops.

Anderson was subbed off at halftime after contributing 17 touches, two shots, 3 of 7 passing, one clearance, two defensive recoveries, and four duels won from eight contested.

Jakob Glesnes clattered into Saprissa forward Javon East in the Union’s 18-yard box in the ninth minute. It was unsightly, but Honduran referee Selvin Brown didn’t stop play until East had spent so long pretending to writhe around in pain that Brown had no choice.

By about the sixth revolution of rolls on the ground, the River End had seen enough. So had Olivier Mbaizo, who gave the ref a few choice words. Wagner added some more toward East when he finally got up.

But the video review officials had the final say, and in fact, Glesnes was guilty. He’d landed his right leg into the back of East’s left while swinging to clear the ball. Brown went to the monitor, and just over a minute later, he came back and pointed to the spot. Luis Paradela eventually stepped up and buried his shot to make the aggregate score 3-3.

It took fewer than three minutes for the Union to respond. A spell of possession in Saprissa’s half ended with Sullivan pinging a cross onto Carranza’s head, and he placed the ball perfectly to the far post.

But was he offside? It was close. The video review crew, led by fellow Honduran Saíd Martínez, took over three minutes to look it over with a microscope until they finally confirmed the goal.

» READ MORE: Julián Carranza’s dazzling hat trick in the first game vs. Saprissa was a reminder of what makes a big-time striker

Sullivan’s goal was a great piece of work. After another spell of Union possession, Anderson pounced on a loose ball, drove and cut, and forced a diving save from Kevin Chamorro. Dániel Gazdag’s follow-up was blocked out to a wide-open Sullivan, and he smartly thumped a first-time shot in the net.

There followed another video review, this time just under a minute. It was short enough that the TV broadcast never showed why the play was under review, but long enough to annoy everyone again.

The next annoyance was entirely on the Union’s end. Madrigal’s goal to make the night’s score 2-2 was an awful one for the Union to give up, an easy finish off a corner kick.

It didn’t help that Anderson was the last player to mark him, instead of any defender. He was also close to offside, which led to another long video review. There’s no time limit on reviews, but this one took 2 ½ minutes.

» READ MORE: Mikael Uhre and Quinn Sullivan’s growing chemistry could be a big help for the Union

Glesnes’ night went from bad to worse when he committed a handball trying to intercept a pass just outside the Union’s 18-yard box in the 61st minute. Torres then whipped an inch-perfect free kick to Oliver Semmle’s far post.

The Union had been the better team for much of the night, but when you give up three goals in an hour, you’ve usually earned it.

José Andrés Martínez and Uhre entered the game at that point, joining Alejandro Bedoya (who replaced Anderson) as second-half substitutes. Jesús Bueno and Sullivan exited.

Elliott drew a straight red card for a lunging slide at East in what was originally set to be the last minute of second-half stoppage time. There wasn’t much contact and East had three Union players around him, but there was no question Elliott lunged. Brown didn’t think twice about it, and the video review was short.

That left the Union a man down for extra time, with Lowe subbing in for Gazdag to ensure the Union still had two centerbacks on the field.

At the start of extra time, Saprissa sent in towering centerback Kendall Waston to try to consolidate its advantage. Instead, another big man on the field struck a big blow.

When the Union won a corner kick in the 92nd minute, McGlynn served it, Bedoya redirected it across the 18-yard box, and a wide-open Uhre slammed it in at the back post.

The crowd roared, and a few moments later Lowe got them louder with some encouragement from the field. But his mood turned sour in the 104th, when he was booked. As he’d also been booked in Saprissa’s home game, that means he’ll also be suspended next Tuesday.

That leaves Glesnes as the only regular centerback available for the game, unless the Union appeal Elliott’s suspension and manage to win it.