Player ratings as Bouanga snatches late point for the Black and Gold

Denis Bouanga found the back of the net deep into stoppage time to cancel out Emil Forsberg’s would-be winner in LAFC’s 2-2 draw against New York Red Bulls at BMO Stadium.

It was an enthralling encounter between the two clubs from the first minute. Forsberg and Lewis Morgan were linking up well in the opening minutes, putting the LAFC defense on high alert. Frankie Amaya’s exquisite pass released Morgan into the Black and Gold’s final third, and he then squared a pass across the face of goal that Dante Vanzeir was about to finish off had Aaron Long not stepped in at the last minute.

However, Long ended up sustaining a leg injury during the last-ditch block. The USMNT figure came sliding in to deny Vanzeir and smacked into the goal post and was forced to exit the game with Eddie Segura replacing him in the eighth minute.

On the ensuing corner kick, Dylan Nealis’s cross was so inviting that Segura just couldn’t help himself and unfortunately headed the ball into his own net, giving the visitors an early lead.

Red Bulls were pressing hard for a second as the clock ticked on in the second half but were just off with the final pass. LAFC, however, finally decided to start trying to score a goal when Bouanga was clipped in the New York penalty area by Sean Nealis. Referee Guido Gonzalez immediately pointed to the penalty spot and — after a lengthy VAR check — Bouanga added his fourth goal of the season from 12 yards out to level the score.

As Red Bulls found the opening goal from a corner kick, they would also go on to find their second of the game from a corner kick with roughly 10 minutes to go in normal time. This time it wasn’t an LAFC player putting the ball in their own net — instead, Forsberg pounced on a loose ball right in front of and powered it home to give New York a 2-1 lead late on.

LAFC weren’t going down without a fight, though. Sergi Palencia sent in a dangerous cross that fell to the feet of Bouanga, and the Gabon international’s powerful strike found the back of the net after it took a deflection of Noah Eile. Bouanga’s late strike was enough to seal a point for LAFC while it more than likely felt like a defeat for Red Bulls.

GK: Hugo Lloris – 6/10 – Couldn’t do much about Segura heading the ball into his own net. His backline stepped up in the second half up until they switched off for Forsberg’s strike.

RB: Sergi Palencia – 6/10 – Quiet for most of the…