FC Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman and Tauro FC's Alvaro Anzola took turns making spectacular saves as the teams played to 1-1 draw in a CONCACAF Champions League match Wednesday night.
Daniel Cruz gave Dallas the lead, setting a franchise record for the fastest goal when he scored just 23 seconds into the match. Playing just his fifth game for Dallas since arriving from Belgium on Aug. 4, Cruz received a nifty chip pass over two defenders from Jackson Goncalves, spun and fired a shot from 15 yards that beat Anzola to the upper right corner.
"What a great first goal, I don't think they were ready," Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman said. "Danny Cruz scored a great goal."
The goal is believed to be the fastest goal ever from the start of a CONCACAF Champions League contest.
Dallas had an apparent goal called back in the 32nd minute, when George John's header beat Anzola but was waived off due to an offsides call.
Luis Moreno tied it at 1-1 for Tauro in the 41st minute on a penalty kick, which was called when Dallas defender Ugo Ihemelu tripped up Victor Mendieta in the box. Moreno then stepped to the dot and his off-speed, low shot slithered under the diving Hartman.
"Ugo came across and accidentally got the guy. Things like that are going to happen when you're battling in the box, so it's no one's fault," Dallas defender Zach Loyd said of the play. "It was just a group of errors we need to work on and hopefully improve on."
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Now with a 2-0-1 mark in group stage play, Dallas tops Group C in its first-ever Champions League appearance, while Panama's Tauro FC is now 0-1-2.
Both teams had chances in the second half but were stymied by the goalies. Hartman wound up with five saves on the night and Anzola with seven.
"I thought it was hard contest by both teams," Hyndman said. "Both teams went at it pretty well and as I said to the boys, I was very proud of the way they competed. But for us, this is disappointing. We're at home, we've won two games and we're able to get a point here, but we play to win, so that was disappointing."
Dallas controlled play for much of the second half, but was unable to get another one past Anzola.
"I had three or four shots, I'm not sure how many, and the goalkeeper saved it or it went close to the post," Dallas midfielder Ricardo Villar said. "You've just got to keep going, you know? You can't stop trying, that's the thing. Some games you don't create half the chances and you score two or three goals. It's one of those things."
Tauro came closest to scoring after the intermission when Hartman made a point-blank save on Mendieta's shot in the 83rd minute and Reinel Herrera headed the rebound off the crossbar.
"It's difficult giving up a lead like that, but we still got a point out of it and in the group stage that means something," Loyd said. "We still lead the group. We wanted a win, but we'll just go back to the locker room and talk about things."
