American forward Ricardo Pepi ended a 30-match scoreless streak for club and country that reached almost a year, getting his first goal for Groningen in a 2-1 loss at Sparta Rotterdam on Saturday in the Dutch Eredivisie.
Pepi outjumped defender Adil Auassar just outside the 6-yard box and headed Isak Maatta’s cross to the left of diving goalkeeper Youri Schoonderwaldt for a 1-0 lead in the 61st minute.
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A 19-year-old from El Paso, Texas, Pepi had not scored since getting two goals for the United States in a 2-0 win over Jamaica last Oct. 7 during a World Cup qualifier at Austin, Texas. Pepi had gone 345 days without a goal.
