RECAP | Asprilla with audacious golazo and Portland Timbers quell San Jose Earthquakes in 2-0 win

PORTLAND, Ore. – Dairon Asprilla scored an absolutely audacious bicycle kick, Diego Chara tallied his second of the year and the Portland Timbers earned a commanding 2-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes Wednesday night at Providence Park.

• MATCHCENTER: Stats and Boxscore

Goalkeeper Steve Clark made five saves to earn his sixth clean sheet of the year with the team getting their eighth shutout of 2021.

MATCH MOMENTS

7' - SAVE (POR) - Steve Clark, well off his line, raced back as San Jose's Chofis attempted a 60-yard chip from distance. Clark managed to jump and push the ball out for a corner.

22' - SAVE (POR) - San Jose forward Jeremy Ebobisse slipped through the left channel and took a hard-angled shot on goal that Clark quickly parried away and the defense then cleared.

30' - CHANCE (POR) - Midfielder Santiago Moreno dribbled towards the endline and squared a ball into the six-yard box that Yimmi Chara hit a clever backheel on frame but the attempt was saved.

34' - GOAL (POR) - The Timbers took a 1-0 lead as Moreno sprung Felipe Mora into the box on the right channel. Mora slipped a cross through traffic to Diego Chara who angled his shot on goal to score.

39' - CHANCE (POR) - Mora, with space outside the 18-yard box, teed up a shot for the far post that San Jose goalkeeper J.T. Marcinkowski dove to save.

39' - CHANCE (POR) - Seconds later, Yimmi Chara headed a ball down in the box for Dairon Asprilla who whiffed on his shot but as the ball rolled back out to Chara, he fired only to have Marcinkowski slide back across goal to deny the shot.

47' - CHANCE (POR) - Moreno, on the edge of the box, chipped a ball over the defense for Mora to chest down. Mora turned and shot but Marcinkowski made the save.

55' - GOLAZO (POR) - In a continuation of his career year, Asprilla made it 2-0 with an absolutely stunning golazo. Portland broke forward with Moreno on the right. He looped a ball forward towards Asprilla in the box that Marcinkowski came out to collect. But the 'keeper bobbled the ball, Asprilla recovered it with his back to goal, tapped it up to himself and bicycled up and into the back of the net to set the stadium crowd on fire.

59' - CHANCE (POR) - Moreno flipped a ball ahead to Cristhian Paredes who side-footed a pass to Mora near the penalty area. Mora headed it on goal, Marcinkowski saved it and Paredes mis-hit the rebound.

75' - CHANCE (POR) - Y. Chara took a swerving shot for the right corner of the box that was pushed away by a diving Marcinkowski.

83' - CHANCES (POR) - Sebastián Blanco, recently subbed into the match, dribbled through three defenders in the SJ box, hit a shot that was saved before Josecarlos Van Rankin hit the rebound off the crossbar before another Portland shot was stopped by a sliding Marcinkowski.

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The Portland Timbers have the weekend off before returning to play next Wednesday on the road against Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium (7pm PT, ESPN2).

Portland Timbers (15-13-4, 49pts) vs. San Jose Earthquakes (9-13-10, 37pts)
Oct. 27, 2021 – Providence Park (Portland, Ore.)

Scoring Summary:
POR: D. Chara (Mora, Moreno), 34
POR: Asprilla, 55

Misconduct Summary:
SJE: J. Lopez (caution),19
POR: Paredes (caution), 20
POR: D. Chara (caution), 27
POR: bench (caution), 31
SJE: Remedi (caution), 50
POR: Asprilla (caution), 57

Lineups:
POR: GK Clark, D Van Rankin, D Tuiloma, D Zuparic, D Bonilla, M D. Chara ©, M Paredes (M Fochive, 68), M Y. Chara, M Moreno (Blanco, 78), F Asprilla (Loría, 85), F Mora (F Niezgoda, 78)

Substitutes Not Used: GK Ivacic, D Mabiala, M Bodily, M Valeri, M Zambrano

TOTAL SHOTS: 23 (Asprilla, 5); SHOTS ON GOAL: 13 (Y. Chara, 4); FOULS: 12 (Asprilla, 3); OFFSIDES: 3; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 5

SJE: GK Marcinkowski, D Nathan, D Beason, D Thompson (M. Lopez, 46), M Remedi (Wondolowski, 60), M Yueill ©, F J. Lopez, F Espinoza (Fierro, 60), F Ebobisse, F Rios (Marie, 46), F Kikanovic (Cowell, 60)

Substitutes Not Used: GK Vega, D Alanis, M Skahan, M Judson

TOTAL SHOTS: 17 (Ebobisse, J. Lopez, 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (Ebobisse, 2); FOULS: 13 (Remedi, 3); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 4; SAVES: 10

Referee: Alex Chilowicz
Assistant Referees: Ryan Graves, Jeffrey Swartzel
Fourth official: Mark Allatin
VAR: Edvin Jurisevic
Attendance: 16,086
Weather: Rainy, 58 degrees

All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial

Notes

• The Timbers are 15-13-4 (49 pts) this season.
• Portland recorded its 10th home win of the 2021 season. 
• The team’s 10 home wins are tied for the most in the Western Conference this season.
• Portland has scored 32 home goals, which is tied for fourth-most in MLS.
• The Timbers’ 13 shots on goal tonight tied the club’s single-game record in the MLS era.
• Tonight’s shutout was the team’s eighth of the season.
• Portland is 15-5-9 against San Jose, and 11-0-4 when playing at Providence Park.
• The Timbers are undefeated against the Earthquakes at home in MLS play.
• Portland extended their unbeaten streak against San Jose to eight (5-0-3).
• Since joining the Timbers in 2018, head coach Giovanni Savarese holds a record of 7-1-2 against the Earthquakes.
• Diego Chara scored his second goal of the season, and 12th all-time for Portland. 
• Dairon Asprilla recorded his 10th goal of the season. 
• Seven of Asprilla’s 10 goals this campaign have been scored at Providence Park.
• In his seven seasons, Asprilla has tallied 17 goals total. More than half of those have been this year.
• D. Chara is the 10th player to register two or more goals for the Timbers this season. 
• Felipe Mora recorded his fifth assist of the 2021 campaign. 
• In five games played against the Earthquakes, Mora has recorded two goals and two assist.
• Santiago Moreno tallied his third career assist. 
• Dairon Asprilla is the only player to appear in all 32 matches for Portland this season.