Thomas Müller converted a penalty kick deep into second-half stoppage time to give the Vancouver Whitecaps a dramatic 3-2 victory over St. Louis City on Saturday night.

Müller, making his first start and only his second appearance for Vancouver (14-6-7) since joining from Germany’s Bayern Munich, scored from the spot in the 14th minute of stoppage time after Mathias Laborda was brought down by Mykhi Joyner.

St. Louis struck first in the 14th minute when Eduard Löwen, set up by Conrad Wallem, netted his fourth goal of the season. Vancouver pulled level just before halftime as Brian White converted from the spot in stoppage time after Tristan Blackmon was fouled by Chris Durkin. It marked White’s 14th goal of the season and eighth in six career matches against St. Louis.

João Klauss restored St. Louis’ lead in the 73rd minute with his eighth goal, assisted by Sang Bin Jeong. But substitute Daniel Ríos equalized just two minutes after coming on, scoring in the 79th off Sebastian Berhalter’s sixth assist of the season.

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Goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka finished with two saves for Vancouver, while Roman Bürki had four for St. Louis, which fell to 1-10-3 on the road this year.

The Whitecaps, aiming for a third consecutive playoff appearance, currently sit third in the Western Conference with seven games left. They next host the Philadelphia Union on Sept. 13. St. Louis (5-16-6) will face Houston Dynamo at home next Saturday.

Source: Agency