Late own goal lifts Loons past Rapids

Colorado defender Lalas Abubakar headed a ball into his own goal in the 89th minute to break a tie and hand Minnesota United a 2-1 victory over the Rapids on Wednesday night in Saint Paul, Minn.

The winning score came when Loons midfielder Ethan Finlay curled a long cross from outside the right side of the penalty box for forward Raheem Edwards. Abubakar cut in front of Edwards at the last moment and headed the ball into his own net.

Robin Lod scored a goal for Minnesota (8-5-6, 30 points), which extended its unbeaten streak to six games (3-0-3). Dayne St. Clair finished with three saves for the Loons.

Andre Shinyashiki scored for the Rapids (5-6-4, 19 points). William Yarbrough made four saves for Colorado, which was playing just its second match since Sept. 23 as a COVD-19 outbreak among players and staff caused multiple postponements.

Minnesota, which outshot the Rapids 15-5 in the first half, including 2-0 in shots on goal, took a 1-0 lead in the 44th minute on Lod's sixth goal of the season. The score came off after a Colorado turnover outside the penalty box. Loons midfielder Emanuel Reynoso cut toward the center of the box and found Lod slicing in from the right side. Lod then fired a left-footed shot from the 18-yard line past Yarbrough and into the left corner of the goal.

Lod almost got another goal in the 52nd minute when his free kick from outside the box glanced off the wall and just wide of the right post.

Shinyashiki tied it in the 69th minute with his third goal of the season, drilling in a right-footed shot from the right edge of the 6-yard box off a nice setup by Diego Rubio.

Minnesota played without forward Kei Kamara for what was termed "a gentlemen's agreement" between the two teams. The Loons acquired Kamara from the Rapids in a trade on Sept. 19. The agreement allows Kamara to play should the teams meet again in the MLS Cup playoffs.