Dejan Joveljic scored two of LA Galaxy’s four goals in the second half as they rallied from a two-goal halftime deficit to claim a 4-2 victory over Los Angeles FC in another thrilling edition of the El Trfico rivalry on Saturday night.
Joveljic put the Galaxy ahead 3-2 in the 67th minute with a back-heel goal, completing a run of three goals in 14 minutes for the first-place club in this derby rivalry between the top two teams in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference.
“I’m proud of the guys because they got punched in the mouth early on, but they responded really well,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “This was a moment to cement the West. The response showed a lot of maturity. It showed a lot of belief and showed that we can execute.”
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Riqui Puig had two assists before adding a late goal as the Galaxy snapped their three-game losing streak at El Trfico while formally clinching a playoff spot and moving seven points ahead of second-place LAFC. Puig and German newcomer Marco Reus shined in their first full game together in the Galaxy midfield, with Reus assisting on Puig’s goal to secure the win.
Denis Bouanga scored his 17th goal of the season and set up another in the first half for LAFC, but Joveljic and Edwin Cerrillo scored two minutes apart early in the second half to tie the score for the Galaxy, with Cerrillo scoring his first MLS goal.
After Joveljic scored his team-leading 13th goal, LAFC midfielder Lewis O’Brien was sent off in the 79th minute with a red card for stomping on Miki Yamane’s foot on a late foul. Puig scored the fourth goal before the Spaniard took off his shirt and waved it like a matador’s cape in celebration.
“It’s good to put in a good performance in the second half because you can see where the team’s level is,” said Puig, whose excellent second half made up for a turnover that led to LAFC’s second goal. “I think we had an incredible performance and we’re very happy.”
Mateusz Bogusz scored in the fourth minute for LAFC, which won the first two meetings between the clubs this year. LAFC had not blown a halftime lead this season before everything fell apart in Carson.
With this loss, LAFC lost control of its destiny for first place in the West despite having two games less than the Galaxy.
The Galaxy lead 10-9-5 in a rivalry series characterized by dramatic goals and high-scoring duels since its inception in 2018. LAFC had won six of the last eight meetings between two clubs separated by 12 miles of the 110 Freeway.
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LAFC took an early lead when Bouanga received the ball near midfield and roared down the left side, beating defenders and placing a low ball onto the foot of Maya Yoshida in front. Bogusz headed the deflection into an open net.
In the 15th minute, Bouanga took advantage of a loss of the ball in Puig’s midfield and once again charged down the left side before advancing to score an acute-angle goal.
The terrible start, as you could see, was really terrible, Yoshida said. We could have lost our heads, but in the second half, we recovered. I still couldn’t believe that we scored four goals in the second half, but tactically we changed and they didn’t change. We are happy about the points, but we have to remember that there are still difficult matches ahead.
Bouanga’s spectacular recent game made it clear that he remains LAFC’s most important player, even after the recent arrival of Olivier Giroud and the impending return of former MLS MVP Carlos Vela, who sat out the entire season.
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But the Galaxy found a spark at halftime, and Joveljic scored in the box in the 53rd minute. Two minutes later, Cerrillo unleashed a beautiful shot past Hugo Lloris for his first MLS goal after spending parts of the past six seasons with FC Dallas and the Galaxy.
The rivalry game became tense at the end, with Puig and Giroud shouting at each other for almost a full minute after a collision. Moments later, Bouanga grabbed defender Jalen Neal’s jersey during an argument after contact in the box.
