LAFC advanced to the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals in thrilling fashion on Tuesday, topping Costa Rican side Alajuelense 3-2 on aggregate in the Round of 16 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 a LIGA MX heavyweight in defending CCC title-winners Cruz Azul.
After a 1-1 draw at BMO Stadium in Leg 1, Alajuelense got off to a dream start inside five minutes of Tuesday's series finale at Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, taking a 2-1 aggregate lead through a rebound header from defender Santiago Van Der Putten.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 Cruz Azul, who emerged victorious from their own hard-fought series against CF Monterrey.
- 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 most dramatic 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.
