Driussi Winner Powers Austin FC Past San Jose Earthquakes in Seven-Goal Thriller

Austin FC midfielder Sebastián Driussi celebrates scoring the match-winning goal in a 4-3 win over the San Jose Earthquakes (credit: Austin FC)

There are good games. There are great games. Then there are the kind of games that make you wonder if the whole damn thing is as scripted as The Rock’s WrestleMania 40 main event.

Q2 Stadium was treated to a match from the third category Saturday night as Austin FC defeated the San Jose Earthquakes, 4-3, in a back-and-forth thriller capped off by a 101st-minute Sebastián Driussi game winner that hit like an RKO from out of nowhere.

This one simply had just about everything you could possibly want from a soccer match, including a comeback from 2-0 down, a stretch of three goals within six minutes, an absolute rocket strike from outside the box and a decisive goal with the last kick of the game.

The chaos began in earnest in the 20th minute when San Jose winger Cristian Espinoza played a world-class cross toward the back post of Austin’s goal, where Paul Marie applied the simple headed finish. ATX defender Julio Cascante seemed to be well-positioned to mark the San Jose right back, but lost track of the play and allowed Marie a free header.

Austin FC appeared to have equalized in the 36th minute by way of Jáder Obrian (who then grabbed his infant daughter out of the stands in an adorable celebration) but the goal was disallowed when VAR ruled a foul had been committed in the build up.

San Jose took the 1-0 lead into halftime, then doubled it in the 58th minute as Jeremy Ebobisse continued his reign of terror against Austin FC, scoring for the fifth time in seven career matches against the Verde and Black.

Fortunately for Austin, no team in MLS has dropped more points from winning positions so far in 2024 than the Quakes. They showed why in the ensuing six-minute stretch.

First, Diego Rubio earned a penalty kick for Austin FC when Carlos Gruezo clipped the Chilean’s heel in the box. Driussi stepped up to calmly deposit the spot kick and get ATX on the board. “I knew we were coming back after the first goal,” Austin midfielder Dani Pereira said. He probably didn’t expect how quick the comeback would take place, though.

Less than two minutes later, Obrian volleyed home a loose ball in the box to immediately tie things up. And though in this instance he was too far away from his daughter to reprise the celebration, this strike at least held up for his first official goal in an ATX jersey.

And before anyone in the supporters section could refill the beer they’d just tossed in the air, substitute fullback Guilherme Biro absolutely brought the house down with a phenomenal strike from distance to give Austin FC the lead.

BIRO 🚀

Austin has three goals in six minutes to take the lead at home. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/VoWYpyExrH

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 7, 2024

The drama wouldn’t end there, however. In the 73rd minute, Espinoza combined with Norwegian striker Amahl Pellegrino, who rolled a composed finish past ATX goalkeeper Brad Stuver to tie things up and take the wind out of Austin’s sails.

As the match entered stoppage time and ticked toward the final whistle, it looked as though Austin FC would once again face disappointment against a San Jose team it had never beaten in seven meetings all-time. But with the final attack of the match, Gyasi Zardes laid a pass into the path of the one player who has consistently stepped up in big spots for El Tree. Driussi delivered with a gorgeous, outside-of-the-boot finish on the half volley to win it for the home side.

DRIUSSI DOES IT IN STOPPAGE 😱 pic.twitter.com/SJux5syuZk

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 7, 2024

“Wins like this galvanize the group, galvanize the city, galvanize the fans,” Austin head coach Josh Wolff said. “It's a hell of a comeback and the guys deserve a lot of credit.”

All of a sudden, the Verde and Black have back-to-back wins and have pulled themselves out of the cellar of the Western Conference. But perhaps more importantly, signs of genuine belief have begun to blossom in the ATX locker room.

“I’m just proud of this team,” Pereira said. “Just being dogs, man. Just grinding until the last minute. That’s it. Just never giving up.”

For more Austin FC news and analysis, visit The Austin Chronicle's Austin FC hub. Follow “The Verde Report” columnist Eric Goodman on X: @goodman.