Aston Villa edges Timbers on penalties

Aston Villa edges Timbers on penalties

Published Jul. 25, 2012 3:21 a.m. ET

Aston Villa defeated the Portland Timbers in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw in Tuesday's friendly.

After both teams successfully converted their first four spot kicks, Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan stopped Bright Dike's penalty.

That set up a chance to win for Samir Carruthers, who put his shot into the top left corner.

The game had ended square after the Timbers came alive in the final 15 minutes.

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Aston Villa controlled the first half, getting a goal in the 41st minute off a header from Ciaran Clark and having another disallowed when Stephen Ireland was called offside.

Portland's Sebastian Rincon scored off a corner from Franck Songo'o to tie the score at 1-1 in the 76th minute.

Just a few minutes later, Matthew Lowton scored for Aston Villa by heading in a corner.

However, Rodney Wallace drilled a left-footed goal from the top of the box in the 81st minute to tie it up again for Portland and send the game to penalties.

The Timbers have been a dramatically different team at raucous Jeld-Wen Field, where they are 5-2-3 this season, than on the road, where they are 0-2-8.

Aston Villa was completing a three-game preseason tour of America, having defeated the Philadelphia Union 1-0 on July 18 and the Chicago Fire 1-0 on Saturday.

Aston Villa will look to rebound from a disappointing 16th-place Premier League finish last year when it kicks off the season Aug. 18 against West Ham.

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