Thursday’s late fixture certainly wasn’t the prettiest of playoff games, but Portland overcame its bogey team in a scrappy match that eventually had to be decided with penalties.

Portland made it a clean sweep for home sides in the playoffs, but Sporting Kansas City made them battle for it till the end. With the score 2-2 after 120 minutes, the Timbers eventually saw the match out 7-6 in penalties to the Conference Semifinals where they will face the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Here are my thoughts on the game:

TIMBERS WERE HOT OUT THE GATES

Portland failed to score against SKC throughout the regular season, so the rip-roaring attacking that had bagged the Timbers 10 goals in its last three games was needed from the kick-off. For the first fifteen minutes it was all Timbers and the home side almost took the lead early on. Liam Ridgewell’s headed effort from a 5th-minute corner had to be saved off the line.

By the 20th minute Sporting were able to control the tempo and calm things down. Goalkeeper Tim Melia was sure between the sticks and Matt Besler commanded the back-line. Portland were still able to register chances, but decent efforts were kept to a minimum. Fanendo Adi came closest before the half with a 37th minute effort that Meila had to save.

SPORTING KEPT THEIR COOL AFTER GOING DOWN

It seemed as though Sporting had sapped the Timber’s rhythm by the start of the second half and Dom Dwyer was finally getting shots through the center-back pairing of Ridgewell and Nat Borchers.

Portland finally found the net after Rodney Wallace was able to force in a shot round Meila. It then seemed as if frustration and misfortune was going to get the better of the SKC squad. Meila caught Wallace’s boot to his face and was eventually taken off reluctantly by the medical staff, with local boy Jon Kempin replacing him. Krisztian Nemeth and Amadou Dia picked up yellow cards for pretty petulant behavior.

But SKC collected themselves and took advantage of Portland’s decision to sit deep, scoring a late equalizer against the run of play and temporarily a man down with Matt Besler bloodied on the sidelines. Kevin Ellis headed in a cross from the relatively quiet Graham Zusi in the 87th minute to send the game into extra time. Timbers stopper Adam Kwarasey takes some blame for getting caught in no-mans-land

AFTER SOME MAGIC, IT CAME DOWN TO LUCK

Nemeth got the visitors lined up for the upset with a curling shot from an acute angle to round the flat-footed Kwarasey.

Once again, once it seemed like one team had killed of the game, they gave their opposition enough leeway to hurt them. Substitute Dairon Asprilla was allowed to turn in the box and play a low cross which Maximiliano Urruti happily volleyed in.

So to penalties. Kempin showed an unexpected level of gamesmanship and bravado for a back-up ‘keeper, while Kwarasey was a redeemed figure in goal. SKC defender Saad Abdul-Salaam’s effort cruelly hit both posts and still didn’t cross the line, perhaps signifying that Sporting’s luck had finally run out.

Nick Kariuki writes both the ASN Injury Report and the MLS Roundup. Follow him on Twitter