Valentin Castellanos' brace helps New York City FC beat Santos

Updated: May 16, 2023, 11:59 pm
New York City FC
New York City FC
CONCACAF Champions League/Twitter

Valentin "Taty" Castellanos scored two first-half goals as New York City FC rolled to a 2-0 win over Santos de Guapiles FC in first-round action of the CONCACAF Champions League on Tuesday in San Jose, Costa Rica.

The contest was the opener of a two-game, total-goal series. The second leg is scheduled for Feb. 23 at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles.

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Castellanos put the visitors on top in the fifth minute when he fired a penalty kick into the left side of the net.

In the 30th minute, NYCFC doubled the lead after two Santos defenders botched clearance attempts in the 18-yard box. The ball rolled to a wide-open Castellanos to the left of the penalty spot, and he blasted a shot into the top right corner.

The main downside for NYCFC was that midfielder Santiago Rodríguez received a red card in the 68th minute after a late challenge caught Santos' Erson Mendez on the ankle.