COMMERCE CITY — The Colorado Rapids were mere seconds away from three points.

Houston Dynamo’s Sebastian Ferreira made sure the last attacking moment counted. With both teams fighting for their figurative playoff lives, it was a tense first half. It was an even more-tense finale.

With 94 minutes and 57 seconds gone on the clock with a five-minute stoppage time period, Ferreira hit a stunning strike to beat Rapids goalkeeper William Yarbrough and rescue a point for the Dynamo in a 1-1 tie Saturday night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

The Rapids fought admirably down a man for the final 10 minutes, but Ferreira’s goal put a major dent in Colorado’s playoff hopes. Three points would have catapulted Colorado up in to seventh. Instead, they remain in 11th with three straight road games, and eight games remaining.

Following the match, Rapids head coach Robin Fraser admitted that his normally-composed team talk “had some harsh discussions.” For better or worse, it had to be so.

“There were certain things that happened that had to be addressed,” Fraser said. “The fact of the matter is we’ve shot ourselves several times in the foot this year, and if we keep doing that, then our season’s going to be really short. At some point, we all have to take responsibility.  … There are things that need to be better, period. And it wasn’t going to do any good to wait until Monday to make those comments.”

Colorado had a few good looks in the first half, including a header from Lalas Abubakar, which went just wide of the post eight minutes in, while William Yarbrough made a pair of good saves to keep it even heading into halftime.

In the second half, the Rapids came out the aggressor with two corner kicks in the opening five minutes.

In the 49th minute after an initial corner kick was cleared away, Gutiérrez sent in a line-drive pass, and Abubakar, who stayed up for the recycled play, got on the end of the cross at the back post and tapped it home to make it 1-0.

With the goal, Abubakar doubled his career-high with a fourth goal in 2022. It also moved the centerback into a tie for third-place for goals, along with Jonathan Lewis.

After Colorado took the lead, Houston attempted to respond, and nearly found the equalizer in the 65h minute, as midfielder Adelberto Carrasquilla attempted a pile-driver from 30 yards out, but it fizzed just over the crossbar.

In the 80th minute protecting the lead, Bryan Acosta received a second yellow card for a tactical foul on Evergreen native Griffin Dorsey. As a result, Colorado was reduced to 10 men. Acosta, who already served his second one-game suspension of the season last Wednesday against Vancouver, will miss the next game.

In an effort to preserve the lead, Fraser brought on a trio of substitutes: Max Alves, Sam Nicholson and Drew Moor.

In the dying embers, Nicholson nearly got to a long pass down the right flank, but it went out for a Dynamo throw-in. Houston quickly switched the field of play, and the ball eventually wound up at the feet of Herrera, who hit a pass to Ferreira. The ball took a generous bounce off the turf and the one-time shot went in to break Rapids fans’ hearts.

It was the second time this season in which Colorado conceded a late equalizer against the Dynamo, as the team also gave up a stoppage-time goal in March in Texas.

Veteran defender Collen Warner said that the team will have to be “resolute” going into the last stretch of the season.

“The mindset has to be that we can achieve anything and we have to stay together,” Warner said. “We’re going on the road to some difficult places, but the thing that I love about this team is that the heads won’t go down too long, and the bond between the team won’t break.”

Colorado (8-10-8, 32 points) will have travel east for the next three games, with matches against Philadelphia, playoff-hunters Nashville and D.C. United. The game against red-hot Philadelphia, which beat D.C. United 6-0 earlier in the evening, will kick off at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Subaru Park.

“It’s about what we have to do as a team,” Fraser said. “Each person has to take their responsibility and really grab it. Same as me, same as any of the coaches.”