FINAL BOW Orlando City’s magical tournament run ends with loss to Portland

Orlando City surpassed odds and expectations to carve out a place for itself in the final match of MLS is Back Tournament, but that gutsy energy fell a step short Tuesday night.

The Lions battled back from behind once but ultimately fell 2-1 to the Portland Timbers at ESPN Wide World of Sports.

The match was cagey, defined by a rough and nervous edge from the opening whistle. The teams finished with a combined seven yellow cards, racking up fouls and crunching tackles as they jockeyed for the trophy.

Orlando City dominated possession early in the match, holding onto the ball for more than 60% of the first half. But the Lions struggled to create meaningful possession in the attacking third.

In the 27th minute, Portland made them pay for it. The Timbers are known for their sharp set pieces, and a free kick gave the team the opportunity to strike. A curling ball to the back post met Larry Mabiala perfectly, and the defender buried the header past Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese.

The goal set the Lions off balance, and they played chaotically until the water break allowed coach Oscar Pareja to settle his team.

Straight out of the pause, the Lions put the ball in the most trusted place on the pitch — at the feet of Nani. The captain danced into the box, playing a pass to Mauricio Pereyra, who muscled through a tackle to score the equalizer.

With the score once again leveled, both teams entered a frantic end-to-end battle in the second half.

Once again, Gallese made a series of major saves in the second half, fending off a free kick and then blocking a point-blank shot on the ensuing corner kick in the 65th minute. He finished the match with four saves.

It wasn’t enough, however, to weather a Portland offensive storm. Dario Zuparic finished a deflection on a the Timbers’ second consecutive corner kick, giving Portland the 2-1 edge.

The Lions rallied in the final minutes, throwing their young attacking core of Daryl Dike, Benji Michel and Santiago Patiño into the box in waves. But this time, the