By JACKSON CASTELLANO The Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla. — LAFC avoided going scoreless in the Club World Cup with just minutes to spare and played Brazilian power Flamengo to a 1-1 draw in its final match of the tournament.
Denis Bouanga scored in the 84th minute for LAFC, but Wallace Yan produced an equalizer in the 86th on Tuesday night at Camping World Stadium.
Flamengo (2-0-1), which came into the match with the top spot in Group D already secured, finished one point ahead of English Premier League power Chelsea (2-1-0).
LAFC, which had already been eliminated from advancing, finished 0-2-1 in the 32-team event.
“Overall, we’re quite happy,” LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo said. “Of course it stings right now, but … our players will realize they can be proud of this performance.”
Flamengo, which defeated Chelsea, 3-1, on Friday, will face Bayern Munich in a Round of 16 match on Sunday in Miami Gardens, Florida.
“We had a great group stage,” Flamengo coach Filipe Luis said. “We achieved our objective in an early manner. Now we’re thinking about Bayern and nothing but Bayern.”
This was the first Club World Cup match in Orlando to finish without a weather delay, as well as the highest attendance in Orlando so far, with 32,933 fans – overwhelmingly decked out in the Flamengo’s black-and-red – in the 60,219 capacity venue.
Marlon appeared to score LAFC’s first goal on a header in the 38th minute, but the goal was disallowed because Ryan Hollingshead was offside.
LAFC’s Mark Delgado also rattled the right upright with a long-range effort in the first half.
LAFC was improved from its 1-0 loss to ES Tunis on Friday, and Bouanga’s breakaway goal created by a cleverly timed run earned some redemption for his failure to convert a game-tying penalty against the North Africans.
But only moments after the restart, Yan somehow split three LAFC defenders on the dribble at the penalty arc before dispatching his powerful finish into the bottom left corner.
Flamengo actually struck the woodwork on four separate occasions, twice alone through Giorgian de Arrascaeta, before Yan’s late effort salvaged the draw.
On the last of those shots off the frame, LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris clattered into teammate Eddie Segura trying to come for a ball into the box. As Lloris lay on the ground, Luiz Araujo found Pedro for a 30th-minute shot toward an open goal that rattled the crossbar.
Lloris, the 38-year-old former World Cup champion, required medical treatment during the ensuing hydration break, but remained in the match.
Flamengo had the better flow of play after halftime and twice came close to a goal in the 58th minute. Everton’s long-range effort forced Lloris into an acrobatic stop, and from the ensuing corner, Pedro sent a similarly agile side volley over the bar.