Ghanaian forward Emmanuel Boateng's early goal for New England Revolution proved insufficient as they suffered a heavy 5-1 defeat against Columbus Crew in a lopsided Major League Soccer match on Saturday night.
Boateng, 30, opened the scoring in the ninth minute with a well-placed shot, intercepting a pass near the top left of the box to beat Crew keeper Patrick Schulte.
However, despite Boateng's effort, New England struggled to maintain momentum throughout the game.
Columbus Crew quickly responded, equalizing through Cucho Hernández shortly after Boateng's goal.
The match turned decisively in Crew's favor late in the first half when Max Arfsten scored from the top of the box in the 42nd minute, followed by a stoppage-time goal from Rossi, giving them a commanding 3-1 lead at halftime.
The second half saw no respite for New England as Rudy Camacho and Steven Moreira added two more goals for Columbus, sealing their sixth win in seven matches.
Boateng was substituted off in the 70th minute, while his compatriot Yaw Yeboah entered the fray for Crew in the 80th minute.
Despite Boateng's early contribution, New England's four-match winning streak came to an abrupt end against a dominant Columbus side.