Late Penalty Goal Breaks Real Salt Lake’s Heart In Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Real Salt Lake fought hard from whistle to whistle but came up short in heartbreaking fashion against Nashville SC on Saturday.

For over 50 minutes, the score was tied at 1-1, with both sides looking for anything to break their way. A foul-ridden second half showed the desperation and then came back to haunt RSL.

A 91st-minute Nashville penalty kick gave them the lead and eventual win, sending Real back to Utah empty-handed.

Real Salt Lake Comes Up Short In Nashville

First Half

Coming into GEODIS Park on Matchday 8, Real Salt Lake had its sight set on its first winning streak of the season.

A quick start from the visitors made that goal feel well within reach.

Despite an unfortunate miss in close from Dominik Marczuk, both RSL and Marczuk kept pressing. The Polish winger made up for it in the 12th minute, crashing the box to bury a rebound off a saved shot from Diogo Gonçalves.

RELATED: Dominik Marczuk Sneaks Shot Past Goalie To Give RSL Early Lead

Dominik Marczuk redemption off the spill from @NashvilleSC gives @realsaltlake a 1-0 early lead @kslsports | #RSL pic.twitter.com/BGdSulZ4Nx

— RSL Show on KSL 🎙️⚡️ (@rslshow) April 13, 2025

The first 30′ played out entirely in Real’s favor. They led in time of possession, shot attempts, shots on goal, and corner kicks.

Nashville was able to shake the pressure in the 30th. Daniel Lovitz rose up for a header off the club’s first corner kick, and his shot sailed over Rafael Cabral into the top left corner.

It wouldn’t be long until Rafael got his revenge. After a few minutes of back-and-forth, Nashville took off on a fastbreak with numbers. A few well-placed, timely passes from the attack left the RSL goalkeeper in a tough position. Unphased, he sat back and timed his dive perfectly to keep the score at 1-1.

43′ | Rafa with a clutch save to keep us level#NSHvRSL | 1-1 pic.twitter.com/Zy1mLuKhFv

— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) April 13, 2025

If the first half were to be broken into two quarters, Real Salt Lake took the first, and Nashville regained in the second.

At halftime, the possession, shots, saves, and corner kick numbers were nearly identical. Fittingly, the score remained even at 1-1 through 45′.

Second Half

Nashville’s Gastón Brugman was shown a yellow card for a foul moments after the teams returned to the pitch. This ended up setting the tone for the second 45′.

Five yellows were handed out in the first 20 minutes of the half. Both sides were hungry for three points and it was apparent.

The home club carried its momentum over from the close of the first half as they knocked on the door of their first lead of the match.

No one got closer than Real did, though. In the 70th minute, Jesús Barea was the recipient of an excellent cross and drilled the back of the net from close range. However, VAR review showed that Marczuk was offsides by just a few steps.

VAR with the robbery

Still 1-1 https://t.co/Sl7MgNSitl

— RSL Show on KSL 🎙️⚡️ (@rslshow) April 13, 2025

For most, the overturned goal would frustrate and discourage. However, it was back to regularly scheduled programming for RSL. It may have even motivated them more.

In the 80th minute, Diego Luna got an excellent look at the goal and nearly found the bottom right corner if it weren’t for an excellent save on the goal line.

Unfortunately, the aforementioned aggressive playstyle came back to bite in the worst way possible. Just before stoppage time, Nelson Palacio was called for a foul in the penalty area.

Sam Surridge stepped up to the spot and buried it for a 2-1 lead in the 91st minute.

The lead held, and Real Salt Lake fell in Nashville.

How To Watch Real Salt Lake

All Major League Soccer games are broadcasted on Apple TV with MLS Season Pass.

All Real Salt Lake English-language radio coverage for the 2024 season and beyond will be carried on various KSL radio signals. KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM/1280 AM) and KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM / 1160 AM) are both stations under the Bonneville International umbrella.

You can find KSL Sports coverage of Real Salt Lake here.

For more Real Salt Lake coverage and analysis, subscribe to The RSL Show and follow them on Instagram. 

Chandler Holt is a co-host of the Jazz Notes podcast, a Locals In The NFL Insider, and Digital Sports Producer for sports.ksl.com. Follow Chandler on X for Utah Jazz and Locals In The NFL updates.

Take us with you, wherever you go.

Download the new & improved KSL Sports app from Utah’s sports leader. You can stream live radio, video and stay up to date on all of your favorite teams.

Follow @CHoltSports