SANDY — Nothing came easy Saturday for Real Salt Lake in the opening leg of its home-and-home playoff series with Columbus.

For most of the match, RSL's possession and attacking prowess was as bad as it's been in months. And it looked as if the defensive-minded Crew were going to walk away from Rio Tinto Stadium with the draw they were clearly seeking.

An innocent throw-in, a nice bit of skill by Yura Movsisyan and a near-post run from Robbie Findley changed all that. Findley flicked in a Movsisyan cross in the 88th minute to give Real Salt Lake the critical 1-0 victory over Columbus in the opening game of their MLS playoff series.

"Right now it's just halftime. We have a one-nil lead," said RSL captain Kyle Beckerman.

The total-goals series shifts to Columbus on Thursday, and Real Salt Lake knows a tie or a win will be good enough to advance to the conference semifinals for the second year in a row.

"It's big. That's what we wanted to do — get a goal or two here at home," said Findley. "When we go on the road, we're going to have to battle the whole game. It's going to be a battle the whole time and we have to come out with a high intensity level."

That intensity level was there from both teams Saturday, but not the resulting skill that Real Salt Lake fans have grown accustomed to from the team with the best MLS home record this season.

A huge chunk of RSL's issues were the result of Columbus' defensive tactics. For most of the game, the Crew dropped nine and 10 players behind the ball to avoid anything like the 4-1 thrashing they suffered through at Rio Tinto Stadium back in April. With the exception of one brief lapse on a throw-in late in the game, their approach worked to perfection.

"We didn't allow them to create too many chances like they usually do," said Columbus coach Robert Warzycha. "We played solid at the back. We were compact."

Real Salt Lake recorded only two shots in the first half, but, like it has many times at home this season, it showed signs of improvement after halftime.

During the regular season, RSL scored a league-best 18 goals in the final 15 minutes. Columbus, on the other hand, allowed a dismal 11 goals in the final quarter hour. The home team was very aware of that trend and knew it had to just keep plodding away.

In the 74th minute, Andy Williams laid a ball for Javier Morales near the top of the box. But his shot was sprayed wide amid heaving pressure from Columbus midfielder Danny O'Rourke.

RSL threw caution to the wind in the 80th minute by switching to a 3-5-2 formation. Within minutes, Findley was sprung free in the box on a Clint Mathis through ball, but his acute-angle shot rippled the side netting.

The Crew started to feel the pressure in those final minutes. RSL earned the breakthrough it desperately needed late in the game on a night when the teams combined for only four shots on goal.

In last year's first-round series against Chivas USA, Movsisyan scored in the 90th minute of RSL's 1-0 home-leg victory. The club went on to earn a tie in California the following weekend to advance with a 3-2 series victory.

"It's big. It gets our foot out there, and gives us a little bit of a cushion but I'm not so sure I'm going to approach that match like that to be honest," said RSL coach Jason Kreis.

The second leg of the series is Thursday at 6:30 p.m. The match will air on ESPN2.

e-mail: jedward@desnews.com