COLUMBUS, Ohio —

For a second straight season, FC Cincinnati's fate in the MLS Cup Playoffs will come down to a do-or-die game in the first round.

The Orange and Blue could not parlay Monday's success into a win in Sunday's Game 2, as the Columbus Crew shut down Cincinnati, 4-0, to tie the series. Advertisement

The result marked the second four-goal victory in Hell Is Real series history. The first came on July 11, 2020, when Columbus won 4-0 during the MLS is Back tournament played at the ESPN Sports Complex in Florida.

Columbus controlled the game from the first whistle of the match, jumping out to a possession lead of 63.9% in the first 20 minutes.

It wasn't empty possession either: The Crew controlled the pace of play, spending a majority of their time with the ball in the attack

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