TORONTO

Seconds after manufacturing a stunning strike that brought Toronto FC back from the dead in the 90th minute Saturday, Darel Russell pointed directly at the press box high above BMO Field.

After that, the fans.

Then, “the big guys in the box,” Russell said with a grin after resurrecting TFC in a remarkable come-from-behind 2-2 draw with league-leading FC Dallas.

The same defender who was tarred and feathered in the days leading up to Saturday’s tilt had the final say in a second consecutive game. This time, though, he was hounded by a press corps asking a very different question.

“You’re always going to have critics,” Russell said of the abuse he took for the gaffe that led to the Reds dropping points against the L.A. Galaxy last week.

“(My critics) are the guys that I have to impress the most,” he continued. “They’re the ones that test me mentally.”

With the Reds trailing 2-1 seconds before stoppage time Saturday, a recycled corner eventually fell to Russell, whose first touch sat up perfectly to, as he put it, “have a go”.

The resulting half-volley sailed past a number of bodies before banking off the post and in to rescue Toronto’s blushes in a match it was poor in for the better part of 60 minutes.

“Delighted to come back and show a second-half effort like that,” Nelsen said before lamenting what was the club’s worst opening half on the season.

“Frustrated in the fact that it took us adversity to get the character out.”

To be clear: Saturday’s first half was akin to something from the now infamous Aron Winter 0-9-0 era.

Through the first 45 minutes on Saturday, Toronto didn’t attempt a shot.

The Reds were out of sorts going forward and consistently missed the pass before the final pass.

The visitors put the Reds on notice at the half-hour mark when after a quality spell of possession, Andrew Jacobson hit a dipping strike from distance that rattled the crossbar.

Less than five minutes later, the game’s inevitable opener came when Jacobson pounded home a restart after it pinballed around in the area, issuing the visitors a 1-0 half-time lead.

Nelsen attempted to change the club’s attacking fortunes coming out of the break, bringing on Luis Silva in the second half.

But a poor giveaway from John Bostock in the 60th minute saw the Hoops strike with world-class precision.

“The second goal was a switch off,” Nelsen said. “We just kind of didn’t expect the danger to happen.”

Dallas capitalized on the turnover instantly when Jackson chipped a precision pass to Blas Perez, whose first-timer beat TFC ’keeper Joe Bendik.

For most in the stadium it was game, set and match.

With some supporters beginning to file out 20 minutes from full-time, Nelsen’s decision to issue Justin Braun his first minutes on the season almost immediately changed the game’s complexion.

Silva came close in the 75th minute, combining with Hogan Eprhaim along the left edge of the box before walking in on goal. And Robert Earnshaw provided a bit of a late-game spark playing alongside a second true forward for the first time this season.

In the 85th minute, Toronto’s late-game push paid off when Dallas defender Matt Hedges’ miss-timed header floated over his ’keeper before falling to Braun on the goal line for the easy finish, kicking off the wildest final five minutes BMO Field’s ever witnessed.

“It was just how many are we going to score in that last 10 minutes,” Nelsen said in praising his troops for their second-half effort. “We had two or three knocked off the line and an unbelievable save.”

A minute after Braun cut Dallas’ 2-0 lead in half, shouts for a penalty rained down on the match official after Jacobson brought Darren O’Dea down with a two-handed tug inside the area.

In the 88th minute, O’Dea thought he’d given the Reds the equalizer they deserved after flicking on a restart that forced Dallas ’keeper Raul Fernandez down quickly to his left.

With the 16,111 in attendance seemingly sucking the ball into the net, the same defender most supporters were wanting to hurl tomatoes at seven days earlier stamped his claim on one of the best finishes in the club’s history.

“Football’s a funny game isn’t it,” Nelsen said of Russell’s 90th minute equalizer, a sweet treat after taking so much criticism for last week’s late howler.

“This week I redeemed myself,” Russell said.

For his head coach, the result issued the Reds a fifth point on the season, somewhere he likely didn’t think they’d be had you asked him in pre-season.

“If you’d asked me about two months ago or six weeks ago I’d be very happy sitting here with five points with the schedule and obviously who we’re playing.”

The Reds travel to Philadelphia next Saturday in what will be one of the few away dates where maximum points are well within reach.

While staying alive with a point per game is good and well, eventually they’ll need to turn single points into three.

ECKS HOBBLES OFF

Toronto FC’s elation following Darel Russell’s late equalizer against FC Dallas on Saturday afternoon was quickly put in check when Richard Eckersley was forced to hobble off in stoppage time.

Eckersley, who has been TFC’s most constant piece on the season, injured his hamstring while attempting to celebrate Russell’s goal.

“I just felt my hamstring go,” Eckersley told the Sun.

“I’ll probably miss a little bit of time. We’re going to get it scanned in the next few days and we’ll see the severity of it.”

The injury will likely see Ashtone Morgan resume his role on the left side of defense with Russell staying on the right — a big loss for a TFC back four that hasn’t pitched a shutout this season.

“I’ve been down this situation before and I know how to come back from it,” Eckersley said. “I know how to come back stronger.”