Mabiala inspires Portland Timbers comeback victory over Adi's Minnesota United

Larrys Mabiala scored to help Portland Timbers overturn a goal deficit and grab a 3-1 victory over Minnesota United in the MLS Playoffs on Sunday.

Minnesota United drew first blood at Providence Park through Franco Fragapane's strike in the 11th minute but the hosts grabbed their equaliser through Mabiala's header with three minutes left before the break.

The Timbers continued from where they stopped after the restart with Sebastian Blanco putting them ahead in the 46th minute.

It did not end there as the Argentine midfielder found the back of the net again in the 66th minute to secure Portland Timbers' qualification for the Western Conference semi-finals.

Mubiala played from start to finish for the Timbers but he received a yellow card in the 86th minute, same as Mali's Bakaye Dibassy who played every minute of the game for Minnesota United and also got his name in the referee's book.

Unfortunately for Nigeria striker Fanendo Adi, he could not face his former team where he spent four years as he was an unused substitute for the Loons.

Adi moved to Minnesota on a free transfer in August and the defeat has ended his quest to win a third MLS title after triumphs in the 2015 and 2020 seasons with Portland Timbers and Columbus Crew respectively.

Mabiala has established himself in Oregon since he joined Portland Timbers from Turkish Super Lig club Kayserispor in 2017.

He will be focused on winning his maiden MLS title this year after the Timbers finished as runners-up in the 2018 season.

They are scheduled to face Colorado Rapids in the Western Conference semi-final on Thursday.

“It's amazing, the atmosphere was great and we wanted to give it to our fans because they came and made this place very difficult for Minnesota to play,” Mabiala told the club’s website.

“We knew there was a possibility for us to advance, what we told ourselves in the locker room was that no matter what happened we just have to stay focused and not lose concentration.

“It was a good thing for us to score the equaliser before half-time. Overall, I'm just happy to put the team right back in the game.”