Griezmann’s Goal Lifts Orlando City SC to a 1-0 Win

Orlando City SC secured a 1-0 win over San Diego at Exploria Stadium on Saturday, September 5, with Antoine Griezmann’s first-half goal deciding the Major League Soccer regular-season meeting. Orlando led at half-time and protected that advantage through the final whistle.

Griezmann provides the decisive moment

The key breakthrough arrived in the 28th minute. Justin Ellis supplied the assist for Antoine Griezmann, who finished a normal goal to put Orlando ahead. Griezmann remained a central attacking threat, registering three shots on target and one key pass across his 90 minutes.

San Diego made a triple substitution in the 62nd minute, bringing on Dagur Dan Þórhallsson, Christopher McVey and Amahl Pellegrino for Oscar Verhoeven, Ian Murphy and Alejandro Alvarado Jr. Orlando responded with changes of its own, sending on Wilder Cartagena and Tyrese Spicer for Joran Gerbet and Daryl Dike in the 66th minute. Bernardo Rhein had earlier replaced Martin Ojeda for Orlando in the 51st minute.

Orlando created the clearer chances

The scoreline was narrow, but Orlando produced the more dangerous attacking numbers. The hosts recorded 15 total shots to San Diego’s seven, including 12 shots inside the box compared with two for the visitors. Orlando also led shots on goal 5-2 and corners 6-4. San Diego had more possession at 53% and completed 502 accurate passes to Orlando’s 418, yet its greater control of the ball did not translate into a sustained scoring threat.

Orlando’s goalkeeper made two saves, while San Diego’s goalkeeper made three, helping keep the margin at one goal. The visitors did have five shots from outside the box, but four of their seven total attempts were off target. Orlando was also disciplined in its attacking movement, finishing with no offsides compared with three for San Diego.

Late cards but no change in the result

The final stages became more disciplinary. David Vazquez was booked for San Diego in the 84th minute, followed by Luis Otávio Costa de Aquino for Orlando one minute later. Kieran Sargeant and David Brekalo were shown yellow cards in the 90th minute, while Iván Angulo also received a late booking. Both sides finished with 11 fouls, and neither team received a red card.

Table and form impact

The victory leaves Orlando City SC eighth in the Eastern Conference with 28 points from 23 matches, an 8-4-11 record and a -16 goal difference. San Diego remains ninth in the Western Conference on 30 points, with an 8-6-9 record and a +6 goal difference. Orlando’s result adds a win to a recent run that had included losses and draws among its latest matches, while San Diego’s three-match winning sequence was followed by defeat.

Griezmann was the standout performer, earning a 7.8 rating after scoring the winner, playing the full match and producing three shots on target. Ellis also made a notable contribution with the assist and two key passes in 75 minutes.