LAFC edges Toluca on stoppage-time goal to begin Champions Cup semifinal

LOS ANGELES — A berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup final will be up for grabs when the Los Angeles Football Club visits Mexico next week to conclude its two-leg clash against Toluca FC.

Opening the home-and-away semifinal series at BMO Stadium on Wednesday night, LAFC secured a late 2-1 victory over the two-time defending Liga MX champions, giving the MLS power a real shot of reaching its third Champions Cup final since 2020.

“We had a job to do tonight,” LAFC head coach Marc Dos Santos said, “and it was to win the game.”

Early into six minutes of second-half stoppage time Son Heung-min delivered a perfect free kick for his seventh assist of the tournament, finding the head of defender Nkosi Tafari, who buried the go-ahead goal.

“Last year [Son] was scoring a lot of goals,” Tafari said. “This year he’s getting a lot of assists. He’s a high-quality player, we all know that.

“That was an incredible ball. I just had to finish my dinner.”

The free kick was awarded when forward Jacob Shaffelburg, who made a rare start at wingback, took a foul outside the area.

“This was kind of an earn-your-stripes type game,” the 26-year-old left footed Shaffelburg said. “So I’m glad I could help out in any way possible for this team.”

Tafari’s tasty ending, his second goal in this year’s tournament, punctuated an appetizing second half, which saw Son also assist Timothy Tillman prior to Toluca’s equalizer off a classy finish by midfielder Jesús Angulo.

Starting in place of LAFC’s all-time leading goal-scorer Denis Bouanga, who missed the match due to yellow-card accumulation, Tillman took a page out of the French forward’s book to provide a momentary lead.

“You can’t replace Denis for another player, but I think the dynamic we created between Timmy and Shaff kind of took care of that left side,” Dos Santos said. “Both together did that well.”

Following a conservative first half when LAFC got nothing going offensively but didn’t give up much on the other end either, the Black & Gold carried a front-foot approach out of the locker room after the break.

Almost immediately, crosses into the box posed problems for Toluca. A pass searching for Son proved uncomfortable. Then Toluca goalkeeper Luis García watched as Tillman drilled a running header just wide.

Earlier, near the half-hour mark, Tillman also had a terrific chance inside the box, but his volley was pulled wide.

Following the break, in the 51st minute, LAFC caused havoc around the Toluca box and the ball bounced to the top of the circle. Tillman chested down a short pass from Son and the German-American struck a half volley through traffic that found the back of the net.

“I think Timmy showed up in a lot of big games for us since the beginning of the season,” Dos Santos said. “He had a very good game tonight.”

LAFC supporters, who split BMO Stadium 50/50 with Toluca fans among the announced attendance of 20,593, then went wild in the 54th minute when their team appeared to double the lead.

A cross from Palencia, low and hard through the 6-yard box, skipped past Mark Delgado and a Toluca defender, finding Shaffelburg at the far post, where the Canadian struck it for what would have been his debut goal with LAFC.

El Salvadoran referee Ismaael Cornejo held up the restart and checked the finish, eventually deeming Delgado offside on the Palencia cross to give the visitors life.

Dos Santos and LAFC players who spoke after the match all said they felt the goal should have been good. LAFC’s head coach called the VAR decision to overturn the 2-0 lead an “embarrassing scandal” that CONCACAF should own up to.

Leading instead by one, LAFC pulled center back Aaron Long after 67 minutes. Long is in the process of building up to full fitness following his return from Achilles surgery. With Eddie Segura forced to sit out due to yellow card accumulation, Dos Santos called on Kenny Nielsen.

Six minutes later, Toluca found the away goal it was seeking, scoring just the second time against LAFC at BMO Stadium in seven CONCACAF matches when Angulo hit a low curling shot from the top of the box beyond Hugo Lloris’ outstretched arms.

If not for Lloris, Toluca would have broken through before the break. A glancing header from a corner kick in the 44th minute found midfielder Nicolás Castro in front of the net. His well struck header zoomed toward Lloris, who lifted his left arm in time to deny the attempt.

Tafari managed to put a foot on the rebound, but the scuffed clearance fell in front of Jesús Gallardo, who toed it toward goal. Only Lloris’ ability to lift himself off the ground and slide across to the near post prevented the Mexican national team veteran from scoring.

“You don’t really get to be captain of your club and country for 10-plus years if you’re just a regular guy,” Tafari said when asked about Lloris’ stellar play. “He’s a one-of-a-kind goalkeeper. To be doing it even at the age that he is, a young 39, is just sensational.”

The two teams, Toluca ranked No. 1 and LAFC No. 2 in CONCACAF, will close the series at Estadio Nemesio Díez in Toluca, Mexico, some 8,750 feet above sea level, next Wednesday (May 6), with the winner advancing to a May 30 final against either Tigres UANL or Nashville SC.

“I believe they were the rightful winners, and now it’s up to us to get the job done at home and secure a win there,” Toluca head coach Antonio “El Turco” Mohamed said. “That is why I say that, all things considered, the overall outlook remains quite positive.”

In the wake of their second stoppage-time winner in Champions Cup this year, LAFC’s coach and players felt similar about their chances in the second leg.

“We would have hoped to get a shutout,” Tafari said. “Of course obviously we know how heavy away goals can be, but going over there with an advantage is the best-case scenario, whatever that advantage looks like. Now we just have to finish the job.”