Jonathan Rodriguez wagged his finger, then held out his arms in disgust.

The Portland Timbers striker had conceded a goal late in the first half against rivals Vancouver and had just done what seemed impossible for the first 42 minutes of the game: he beat goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka.

But immediately after Rodriguez shot the ball high into the Vancouver goal, the referees ruled it offside. Rodriguez protested – but he didn’t sulk for long.

It was Rodriguez’s goal a minute later, off an assist from Santiago Moreno, that helped the Timbers to a crucial 1-1 draw against a Vancouver team closely tied to the Timbers in the standings. It was Rodriguez’s 16th goal of the year, and MVP candidate Evander was suspended for the game for accumulating yellow cards.

“This was almost a playoff game in itself in terms of the tension, the nerves and the results,” Portland manager Phil Neville said. “We are not at home. I think the away result will give us confidence.”

With the win, the Timbers (12-10-0, 45 points) picked up a much-needed point in a Western Conference race in which the club is tied with Minnesota for eighth place in the standings.

The Timbers came to Vancouver (13-9-7, 47 points) aware of the challenge the club faced. Portland ends the season with three of its last five away games, and while the team fought from behind to secure a 3-3 draw in Salt Lake a week ago, the club didn’t seem to be taking that momentum north of the border, as Vancouver took a 1-0 lead in the second minute.

In fact, the Timbers played on their heels for most of the first half, with a series of turnovers and slow errors putting pressure on Portland keeper Maxime Crepeau, a Canadian native, to keep the Timbers afloat until the offense struggled a bit without Evander found the playing field.

The Timbers finally found that out in the 43rd minute when Portland stormed back up the pitch just moments after the goal was negated by an offside call. The ball passed from Miguel Araujo to Moreno to Rodriguez, who fired a left-footed shot that was deflected into the net by a defender.

“In the first 20 minutes I didn’t see a team doing anything to win a game,” Neville said of Portland’s sluggish start to the game. “After 20 minutes I saw a team taking responsibility.”

Rodriguez’s goal was the final goal of the game for both sides – largely thanks to Crepeau. In the second half, Portland’s goalie stopped Ryan White’s point-blank shot attempt and then forced the Vancouver forward to shoot off the post just minutes later.

With three games to go, the Timbers return to Portland to complete their home schedule with games against Austin on Wednesday and FC Dallas on Saturday. And while Portland has yet to secure a spot in the postseason, Neville said Saturday’s decision puts the club in a position to take its destiny into its own hands.

“When we set goals for this season, I think we would have said: three games to go, our goal is in our own hands, in our own control, with two games in front of the Timbers Army (we would do it). that)…now it’s up to us to do what we do at home. Two really tough games against two really well-coached teams.

“But it’s in our own hands.”

Next: With three games to go, the Timbers return to Portland to complete their home schedule with games against Austin on Wednesday and FC Dallas on Saturday.

—Tyson Alger for The Oregonian/OregonLive