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It took nearly 40 minutes, but Atlanta United finally opened the scoring. It was only fitting that it was Josef Martinez, capitalizing on a Portland Timbers mistake to give Atlanta United a 1-0 lead.
Make it 35 goals for @JosefMartinez17! This one means more. #MLSCup https://t.co/cpwRjTkSYA
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) December 9, 2018
The sequence started with a pass out of the back from Zarek Valentin that Jeremy Ebobisse handled poorly. His first touch allowed Michael Parkhurst to make a strong tackle that sent the ball to Martinez, who took one touch to get around Jeff Attinella and then coolly slotted it into the net for his MLS record 35th goal of the season. It was also his fourth goal of the playoffs.