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In another budding Southern California rivalry, this one between LAFC and San Diego FC, the main factor in this match was VAR.
Not that that was a bad thing, certainly not in this match. The two times that VAR was used in this match, they got the decisions right, but it was LAFC that wound up on the short end of the VAR decisions, and ironically, both decisions were handball decisions. The first time was to take away an LAFC goal due to handball and the second time was a handball that interfered with a goal-scoring chance, and the end result was San Diego sneaking out of BMO Stadium with a 1-0 win.
“We had our chances, so we can only blame ourselves,” LAFC defender Yevhen Cheberko said.
Andres Dreyer converted the penalty following the VAR call that enabled San Diego FC to pull out the win. The result snaps LAFC’s unbeaten run that counting its three Leagues Cup matches, had been seven matches. The loss also added to a dismal week for LAFC that saw them unable to advance to the Leagues Cup knockout rounds despite winning the three matches, but also see’s SDFC get a small measure of revenge against its neighbors to the north after LAFC had came back from a two goal deficit to steal a point at Snapdragon stadium a little over three months ago.
It all started in the 85th minute. Dreyer sent a corner kick into the penalty area, Jeppe Tverskov headed a ball towards goa, Ryan Porteous swiped the ball with his left hand, and keeper Hugo Lloris collected the ball. The call however was not immediately made and LAFC went on a counter, San Diego was able to stop the counter, and referee Ismail Elfath immediately went to VAR to review the play, VAR confirmed Porteous’ handball, and SDFC went to the penalty spot, and three minutes after the original infraction, Dreyer buried the penalty to put San Diego in front for the eventual win.
:I never felt that we were in danger, so that’s why it’s disappointing to get that corner kick penalty,’ LAFC head coach Marc Dos Santos said. “We can do better. I don’t fault it. It is a penalty. And it is a game of little details.”
LAFC thought they had the game’s first goal in the first half, but as with San Diego’s goal, but just like that scenario, VAR rightfully intervened in that case. It started in the 21st minute, as Timothy Tillman sent a long ball forward that Denis Bouanga tracked down, San Diego keeper CJ Dos Santos missed on the clearance attempt, Bouanga got to the ball and slotted the ball into the empty net to supposedly gave LAFC the lead. However, Elfath got the call for VAR, and it showed that not only did the ball go off Bouanga’s lower right arm, but the ball continued forward, which got Bouanga into a shooting position, which was more than enough to wipe out the goal.
LAFC kept up the pressure in the second half. Eddie Segura capitalized on a bad touch from Dreyer and gained possession, Segura then passed ton Son, who got in between two SDFC defenders to plenty of space to operate with, Son dribbled into the penalty area and fired a left-footed shot the far post, but the shot missed by inches. LAFC’s next two chances were foiled by Dos Santos, both in the same sequence. Jacob Shaffelburg sent a left-footed cross into the penalty area, Dos Santos beat Ryan Hollingshead to the ball and punched it away with his right hand, the ball fell to Segura, who immediately headed a ball back towards goal, but Dos Santos didn’t flinch, and parried the ball over the endline.
“Second half, we were by far the better team, the best team,” Dos Santos said. “We created two very big chances, (CJ) Dos Santos does a big save on Eddie, and it looked defensively we never were in danger.”
Fortunately for LAFC, it won’t have too much time to reflect on this loss, as they travel to the Rocky Mountains to face the Colorado Rapids, followed by a home match on Saturday against the Portland Timbers.
