Washington, Aug 21 (EFE).- Los Angeles Football Club beat Colorado Rapids 4-0 on Wednesday in the second semifinal of the Leagues Cup, qualifying for Sunday’s final against Columbus Crew.
Columbus Crew and LAFC will thus repeat in the Leagues Cup the final of the 2023 MLS Cup, in which ‘Cucho’ Hernández’s team beat the Los Angeles team 2-1.
Just like that time, Sunday’s final will be played at Lower.com Field in Ohio, home of the Columbus Crew.
This Wednesday’s match between LAFC and Colorado, both from the MLS, was played at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
The two teams played a very even first half until just before halftime, in the 42nd minute, LAFC took the lead with a great curling goal from outside the area by Polish Mateusz Bogusz assisted by Colombian Jesús Murillo.
If that goal on the stroke of half-time was a setback for Colorado, LAFC struck again in the 45th minute, with a counterattack finished off by Sierra Leonean Kei Kamara after an excellent assist from Ryan Hollingshead.
Olivier Giroud, who has yet to start for LAFC, came on after the break, replacing Kamara, who scored the 2-0.
Giroud’s countryman Denis Bouanga scored LAFC’s third on a spectacular counterattack that began with him winning the ball back in his own half and racing across the field to beat goalkeeper Zack Steffen with a cross-shot in the 59th minute.
Britain’s Lewis O’Brien made it 4-0 after finishing off a rebound from Colorado’s defense in the half-moon area.
Denver spent the last quarter of an hour of the match trying to score a consolation goal, but Hugo Lloris kept a clean sheet.
Before beating the Colorado Rapids today, LAFC had eliminated the Seattle Sounders in the quarterfinals, the San Jose Earthquakes in the round of 16 and Austin FC in the round of 32. EFE
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