LAFC advanced to the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals in thrilling fashion, topping Costa Rican side Alajuelense 3-2 on aggregate thanks to a series-winning golazo from David Martinez at the death.
The result sets up a massive quarterfinal clash, where the Black & Gold will take on the winner of the all-LIGA MX Round of 16 series between CF Monterrey and Cruz Azul.
After a 1-1 result at BMO Stadium in Leg 1, Alajuelense got off to a dream start inside five minutes of Tuesday's Leg 2 at Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, taking a 2-1 aggregate lead through a header from defender Santiago Van Der Putten. LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris saved an initial attempt, but Van Der Putten pounced on the rebound to nod home the opener.Â
Alajuelense managed to keep that lead into the second half, but LAFC struck for their equalizer in the 51st minute via Nathan Ordaz. The 22-year-old forward ran onto a feed from Mark Delgado and lashed a first-time shot into the net.
That set the stage for the late winner, which Martinez rifled home from distance just before the final whistle to send the Black & Gold through.
Goals
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: LAFC's CCC dreams were on the ropes after the early opener, but the Black & Gold dug deep to flip the result with a pair of class goals from Ordaz and Martinez. Head coach Marc dos Santos' group will be flying high going into a must-watch quarterfinals series against high-level LIGA MX opposition.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Martinez had already looked to be on the precipice of a breakout campaign going into this match. Then, he went out and authored one of the biggest goals in LAFC history.
- MAN OF THE MATCH:Â Martinez is the easy pick for his late heroics, which came after he entered as a second-half substitute.
