After seeing an early lead turn into a halftime deficit, the Portland Timbers held firm and found a tie goal in the second half to tie LAFC 2-2 on Thursday night and win Group F in the MLS tournament. is Back in Florida.
Jeremy Ebobisse’s header in the 80th minute rescued the group stage victory for the Timbers. It was Ebobisse’s third goal in as many games in the tournament. He came on as a substitute for Jaroslaw Niezgoda, who scored in the seventh minute of his first MLS start to give Portland an early 1-0 lead.
LAFC (1-0-2, 5 points) took control of the game at the end of the first half, scoring two goals to go up 2-1. But the Timbers (2-0-1, 7 points) tied even late in the second half.
The Timbers will play FC Cincinnati at 7:30 pm Tuesday in the 16. knockout round. LAFC will face the Seattle Sounders at 8 pm Monday in the knockout round.
Here is a summary of how the match unfolded:
Full time: Despite some late LAFC opportunities, the Timbers win the tie 2-2 and win Group F to face FC Cincinnati on Tuesday in the knockout round of 16. LAFC will face the Seattle Sounders on Sunday.
Minute 80: Goal Timbers. Jeremy Ebobisse scores. First, Yimmi Chara wins a deep free kick on the right wing. Diego Valeri sends it and Dario Zuparic with a good header that forces a Pablo Sisniega. It leads to a corner kick. After the ball bounces off the box, Jeremy Ebobisse with a beautiful header to tie the game at 2-2. Woods 2, LAFC 2.
Minute 79: LAFC brings in Bryce Duke to replace Mark-Anthony Kaye. LAFC 2, Woods 1.
Minute 77: A good cross from Diego Valeri to Jeremy Ebobisse, who does not hit him cleanly and sends him to the goal. That was an excellent equalization opportunity for the Timbers, but they don’t capitalize. LAFC 2, Woods 1.
Minute 69: Diego Valeri replaces Andy Polo, and Eryk Williamson replaces Cristhian Paredes. LAFC 2, Woods 1.
Minute 67: Bradley Wright-Phillips leaves for LAFC, replaced by Andy Najar. Two other LAFC changes too: Mohamed El-Munir replaces Diego Palacios and José Cifuentes replaces Francisco Ginella. LAFC 2, Woods 1.
Minute 65: Cristhian Paredes receives a yellow card after bumping into Latif Blessing. LAFC 2, Woods 1.
Minute 60: LAFC’s Eduard Atuesta takes a yellow card for committing a foul on Diego Chara. LAFC 2, Woods 1.
58 minutes: Jeremy Ebobisse comes on as Timbers’ substitute for Jaroslaw Niezgoda. LAFC 2, Woods 1.
Minute 54: They push and push after Sebastián Blanco tackles Diego Palacios. Blanco receives a yellow card. LAFC 2, Woods 1.
Minute 49: Yimmi Chara has come for the Timbers to replace Marvin Loria to start the second half. The Timbers win a corner kick, but Blanco’s serve pulls away for LAFC. If LAFC wins this match, Group F will win and face FC Cincinnati in the knockout round. That would establish a Timbers-Sounders matchup in the knockout round. If the Timbers win or there is a tie, the Timbers would win the group and face Cincinnati, while LAFC would face the Sounders.
Halftime: LAFC leads 2-1. LAFC scored both of their goals late in the half after the Timbers took an early 1-0 lead.
40 minutes: LAFC goal. Mark-Anthony Kaye scores on a header from a LAFC corner kick, and suddenly the Timbers are losing. LAFC 2, Woods 1.
Minute 37: LAFC has 11 shots so far, compared to three for the Timbers. Woods 1, LAFC 1.
Minute 36: LAFC goal. A powerful shot by Bradley Wright-Phillips from outside the area is a rocket, and Steve Clark has no chance of saving him. LAFC gets the equalizer. Woods 1, LAFC 1.
Minute 29: Sebastian Blanco gets room and attempts a left-footed shot from the center of the box, but is blocked. Woods 1, LAFC 0.
Minute 11: The Timbers have another golden opportunity, as Marvin Loria crosses Jaroslaw Niezgoda, but he’s so powerful that Niezgoda can’t direct him well with his header and he’s wide. Woods 1, LAFC 0.
7th minute: Goal Timbers. It is back and forth at the beginning. But in the seventh minute, Sebastian Blanco finds Jaroslaw Niezgoda running inside the box, and easily beats LAFC goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega by the goal. It is the Polish striker’s first goal with Portland. Woods 1, LAFC 0.
Wood starters: Steve Clark, Chris Duvall, Bill Tuiloma, Dario Zuparic, Marco Farfan, Diego Chara (captain), Cristhian Paredes, Marvin Loria, Sebastian Blanco, Andy Polo, Jaroslaw Niezgoda.
LAFC starters: Pablo Sisniega, Bendición Latif, Tristan Blackmon, Eddie Segura, Diego Palacios, Francisco Ginella, Eduard Atuesta, Mark-Anthony Kaye (captain), Brian Rodríguez, Bradley Wright-Phillips, Diego Rossi.
And here are details on how to watch on TV and live online:
Portland Timbers vs. Los Angeles FC
Than: Group F match in MLS is the return tournament
When: 7:30 pm PDT / 10:30 pm EDT Thursday, July 23
Where: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex | Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Television channel: ESPN2 (Comcast 36/736 in Portland)
How to watch the live stream online: You can watch this match live on the Watch ESPN / Watch ESPN apps with your cable or satellite provider login, or you can watch this game live FREE with Hulu + Live (free trial) or Sling TV (free trial, promotional offers), if you prefer those platforms.
Latest odds: LAFC -150 | Draw +315 | Woods +365
DASHBOARD AND LIVE STATISTICS
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