The USMNT Beat Mexico In Extra Time On A Wild Penalty Save From Backup Goalie Ethan Horvath

The United States met Mexico in the final of the CONCACAF Nations League tournament on Sunday night in Denver in what was an absolutely wild game that ended in a 3-2 U.S. win in extra time. There was pretty much everything one could imagine, good and bad, from a U.S.-Mexico game, but the USMNT managed to gut out a win and lift the trophy.

Twice, Mexico went ahead in the game and the U.S. had an answer. First it was a goal barely a minute into the game that left the U.S. stunned, but Gio Reyna had the answer later in the first half to level things.

In the second half, it was Diego Lainez who got a goal for Mexico late to seemingly put the U.S. on the ropes, but Weston McKinnie found the equalizer to force extra time.

In extra time, Christian Pulisic drew a penalty on a foul in the box that was given after a look at VAR, and the American star stepped up and hit a sensational penalty into the top right corner to give the U.S. a 3-2 lead.

In the celebration, fans pelted the U.S. players with cups, with Reyna going down after being hit in the head by a Coke cup.

Mere minutes later, Mexico drew a penalty of their own from VAR after they called a handball in the box on the U.S. Ethan Horvath, who came in late in the second half after star keeper Zach Steffen left with an injury, stepped up and made the save of his life to keep the U.S. ahead by one.

After that there was a pitch invader and more things were thrown at players along the sidelines, this time with a player on Mexico taking the worst of the hit.

The penalty was the last real chance for Mexico, as the interminable stoppage time finally ended and the U.S. was able to start the celebration.