Houston Dynamo forward Amine Bassi made MLS history with his 65th-minute penalty goal in the Dynamo’s 3-0 win over the LA Galaxy on Saturday night. Bassi became the first player in league history to score on a penalty in four straight games.
As calm as Bassi’s penalty was, the leadup was chaos. The Dynamo (3-3-0, 8 points) had great pressure and were working through the Galaxy box when a Dynamo player went down but no penalty was called.
Play was whistled after a few moments for the VAR check, and while referee Alex Chilowicz was at the monitor, LA defender Martin Caceres came over to talk to him and put a hand on his side. Caceres was already on a yellow, and Chilowicz immediately showed him his second yellow and the subsequent red.
The penalty was given, and Bassi stepped up and sent LA goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsmann the wrong way for the record-setting penalty goal. Bassi is now one penalty off the Dynamo’s single-season record of five set by Erick Torres in 2017.
As for LA (0-3-3, 3 points), the winless streak to start the season has stretched to six.
Bassi then added his second of the night in the 73rd minute. After Houston won a turnover deep in the attacking third, Corey Baird cut a pass back across goal that found Bassi just on the edge of the box. He cleanly settled the ball with his first touch, then zipped it into the bottom right corner.
Hector Herrera gave the Dynamo a 1-0 lead in the 35th minute off a free kick. He lined up just outside the LA box to Klinsmann’s right, and his laser shot left the keeper flatfooted as it found the bottom right corner just inside the far post. It was the first shot on goal by either team of the night.
Herrera got sent off in the 90th + 5 minute with his second yellow card for a harsh challenge on Chicharito, who made his season debut.
Then moments later, Douglas Costa was sent off for violent conduct on a sideline altercation. Both Costa and Caceres will miss next weekend’s El Traffico matchup with LAFC.
–Field Level Media
