Los Angeles, CA- A bitter rivalry is brewing in Los Angeles. The rematch almost played out like the first one. The 22,000 fans in attendance cheered hysterically as LAFC and the Los Angeles Galaxy played to the very end.
Similar to their first matchup, LAFC blew a 2-0 lead they had for more than 80 minutes. The Galaxy notched two late goals to equalize it, 2-2, on Thursday night at Banc of California Stadium.
“We have ourselves to blame again,” LAFC coach Bob Bradley said. “If our football continues in the right way, if we still make the right passes, we get the third goal. It’s on us.”
In the first match at the StubHub Center, Galaxy scored three goals in the final 20 minutes to win, 4-3. In tonight’s rematch, the Galaxy scored twice in the final 10 minutes to steal a point.
LAFC defender Walker Zimmerman said it’s a rivalry and they let down the fans. It’s something we grow from, he added.
“Had a good 80 minutes,” Zimmerman said. “But their chances came off our mistakes. Mentality is something we’ll have to work on.”
LAFC controlled most of the match and continued to apply pressure while doing well to defend Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the first half.
Los Angeles FC got on the board in the seventh minute with Carlos Vela’s header in the center of the box. Adama Diomande saved the ball from going out of bounds on the right side and crossed it inside the box where Vela slammed it passed the goalkeeper for a 1-0 lead.
Mark Anthony-Kaye won a free kick when he was fouled by Galaxy’s Perry Kitchen but was injured in the process. Eduardo Atuesta came in for Anthony-Kaye and as soon as the referee blew the whistle, Lee Nguyen’s free kick curled into the back of the net for a 2-0 lead.
“We have a lot to learn and improve,” Vela said. “We at an important moment in the season and we want to do good things, we have to be a better team.”
The Galaxy cut the lead in the 82nd minute when Romain Alessandrini fired a shot into the left post passed Taylor Miller. A minute later, Miller made a diving save on a close-range shot by Ola Kamara.
In his first Major League Soccer appearance, newly acquired 21-year-old Andre Horta made a bad pass into his own defensive half that was intercepted by Kamara who dribbled around Taylor to send the shot into an empty net.
“We had plenty of chances to get the third goal,” Bradley said. “Let’s not let the whole discussion to turn into a poor back pass at 2-1.”
LAFC remains in second place in the Western Conference with 36 points while the Galaxy sit in fourth place with 32 points.
“LAFC was the better team but we got chances and we took care of those chances,” Ibrahimovic said. “One point in the end is a good result for us.”
