Dramatic rally salvages point for LAFC in San Diego

It certainly was not looking good for LAFC.

Two days removed from an emotional win over Toluca in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals, and three days away from having to finish the second leg in Mexico, LAFC found themselves on the back foot against regional rival San Diego FC on Saturday night, as San Diego spotted them a late two-goal lead. However, LAFC kept themselves afloat and its resolve combined with some good fortune enable them to escape Snapdragon Stadium with at least a point, as two late second half goals saw LAFC come from behind  and earn the 2-2 draw.

Denis Bouanga, back in the LAFC starting 11 after missing Wednesday’s match against Toluca, scored the goal that got LAFC back into the match, but it was Ryan Hollingshead that played the role of hero, as his goal at the death of the match rescued the point for LAFC. The result spoiled a good night for San Diego’s Marcus Ingvartsen, as he had a brace in the match.

Trailing 2-0 heading into the final stretch, LAFC managed to pull a goal back in the 82nd minute. Son-Heung Min took a ball from Mathieu Choiniere  and dribbled 15 yards into the penalty area. Son then played a ball to Bouanga, who then fired a left-footed shot that got past keeper CJ Dos Santos and snuck at the back post to cur San Diego’s lead to a goal.

San Diego however had managed to take the lead into the nine-minute stoppage time, but LAFC had another chance in the 94th minute. Mark Delgado played a ball to Bouanga inside the penalty area, Bouanga attempted a right-footed shot, but Dos Santos saved the shot, but at a huge price, and that price would end up benefitting LAFC in the end. Bouanga’s right cleat had inadvertently caught Dos Santos in the nose, leading Dos Santos to suffer a bloodied nose, meaning that he would have to be taken out of the match, and Duran Ferree took Dos Santos’ spot between the pipes.

Dos Santos’ injury added on more time to the stoppage time, which stretched past 100 minutes, and LAFC took advantage. LAFC had a corner kick in the 104th minute, David Martinez sent the corner kick into the penalty area, Choiniere headed the ball down into the six-yard box, the ball fell to the chest of Hollingshead, and he buried the point-blank shot for a shocking and unanswered tying goal. There was some controversy surrounding the goal however, as San Diego appealed that Choiniere’s header first went off his hand, and while replays did show the ball going off Choiniere’s left arm, referee Filip Dujic and VAR referee Carol Anne Chenard determined that it was not a deliberate handball and the goal stood.

San Diego jumped into the lead seven minutes into the match. Andres Dreyer sent a corner kick into the penalty area and Ingvartsen outjumped Nkosi Tafari and headed the ball into the back net, giving San Diego the early lead. San Diego took the lead into the halftime, held it for much of the second half before they eventually doubled the advantage in the 71st minute, as Dreyer forced a turnover just inside LAFC’s half of the field and sent a ball down the right side, Oscar Verhoeven chased down the ball, dribbled into the penalty area, played a ball to Ingvartsen, took a touch that enabled him to create a sightline, then fired a right-footed shot that beat kpper Hugo Lloris far post to give San Diego a seemingly insurmountable two-goal lead at that moment.