Denis Bouanga scored in the final minutes of extra time and Los Angeles FC dramatically secured the last ticket to the Club World Cup, after coming from behind to beat Club America 2-1 in a match thrown together by FIFA on Saturday in Los Angeles.
This tie stemmed from Leon’s expulsion from the tournament due to the issue of multi-ownership. To choose their replacement, FIFA invented a playoff with a strange combination of these two teams, to be defined in a single match at the home of the Los Angeles team, which allowed the Black & Gold to access this world football party
Igor Jesus equalized for LAFC in the 89th minute, when Andre Jardine had decided to close the game by bringing out his entire defensive apparatus. From a corner kick, the Brazilian defender eluded his marker and headed in his first goal for his new club.
After 24 tense minutes of extra time, Bouanga fired a powerful shot that was deflected by the defense and ended up in the back of Luis Malagon‘s net in the 115th minute, with America already out of the game
LAFC will join English club Chelsea, Brazil’s Flamengo and Tunisia’s ES Tunis when the group stage begins in two weeks.
Many millions at stake for the winner
The victory for LAFC is extraordinarily lucrative for the Major League Soccer powerhouse, as it guarantees at least $9.55 million in prize money for qualifying for the tournament. The club also has the opportunity to earn nearly $100 million in additional prize money from FIFA’s nearly $1 billion prize pool.
Brian Rodriguez put America ahead midway through the second half when he converted a penalty against his former team, but the Eagles fell short in front of thousands of fans.
Rodriguez beat Hugo Lloris from the penalty spot in the 64th minute, taking advantage of a penalty awarded after a video assistant referee (VAR) review following a rash studs-up tackle by Mark Delgado on Erick Sanchez. Rodriguez, who came on as a half-time substitute after recently recovering from injury, played part of four seasons with LAFC, from 2019 to 2022, before the Uruguayan winger moved to America for a hefty transfer fee.
With a stadium full of enthusiastic fans supporting both teams, LAFC and America were cautious in the first half, with only one shot on target each.
LAFC started with offensive force when Olivier Giroud came on as a substitute in the second half. The French star almost deflected a pass inside the area in the 81st minute, but Luis Malagon deflected it. LAFC stepped up their pressure in the closing minutes after Bouanga and Giroud.
With information from LAPRESSE
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