After a nail-biting goal scored by LAFC defender Nkosi Tafari one minute into stoppage time, LAFC secured a 2-1 win over Toluca FC in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup Semifinal at BMO Stadium on April 29.
In a moment when the match surely was deemed to end in a 1-1 draw, the Black and Gold were given a set piece after Toluca’s Diego Barbosa aggressively blocked off LAFC forward Jacob Shaffelburg, setting up one last chance at goal.
Off the free kick taken by LAFC forward Son Heung-Min, an unmarked Tafart got a head on the ball that came towards the near-post, securing the game-winning goal that left Toluca’s defensive unit stunned.
“The important thing was to win,” LAFC Head Coach Marc Dos Santos said. “We know [playing in Mexico] is hard, the altitude, and there’s a Toluca team that barely loses [at] home. They have a huge home field advantage, and we are going to have to be very special there to qualify.”
LAFC’s explosive offense went into the match without Denis Bouanga and Eddie Segura due to yellow card suspensions.
The first half consisted of both teams fighting for physical dominance over each other and both having golden chances in front of goal. Despite the chances, neither team managed to get on the score sheet.
A glimpse of vintage Hugo Lloris occurred for LAFC in the 44th minute after a heroic double save off a Toluca corner kick opportunity, keeping the match scoreless going into halftime.
LAFC broke free in the 50th minute after LAFC defender Sergi Palencia served a low cross towards Son, who dumped it off to Timothy Tillman at the top of the box to give the team a 1-0 lead at home.
Tafari and Tillman both have two goals in Champions Cup competition.
Minutes later, LAFC forward Jacob Shaffelburg found the back of the net after receiving a cross from Palencia. The Canadian forward’s far-post finish was later disallowed for an offside violation.
“The 2-0 [chance] was a clear goal, it’s embarrassing and a scandal,” said Dos Santos. Concacaf has to be better, and you have to give the goal, it’s very bad.”
Toluca equalized the match in the 73rd minute after a strike from Jesús Ángulo snuck past Lloris’ diving save attempt.
“After [Toluca] tied the game, our reaction was amazing,” Dos Santos said. “We didn’t put our heads down and kept pushing and found the second goal. Now we are going to take this advantage and prepare for San Diego.”
Toluca's Diego Barbosa yellow card for pulling Shaffelburg down led to their downfall after Son’s curling cross towards Tafari led to LAFC securing a one goal advantage heading into the second leg that will be played in Mexico.
“Sonny played an incredible ball, and we’d talked about him scoring and what celebration we would do,” Tafari said. “We weren’t prepared if I were to score [and] what we would do. He put the ball right where it needed to be and I just had to follow and not mess it up.”
Son assisted both goals for LAFC and now has two goals with a total of seven assists in Champions Cup competition.
LAFC will return to MLS play this weekend against San Diego FC on May 2, at Snapdragon Stadium in California at 8:30 p.m. CST.
