LAFC claims final spot in Club World Cup with 2-1 victory over Club América in play-in match

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Denis Bouanga has scored countless big goals during his four prolific seasons with Los Angeles FC, celebrating nearly all of them with his signature front flip.

None of those goals was bigger — or more lucrative — than the blast that beat a Liga MX powerhouse and sent LAFC into the FIFA Club World Cup.

Bouanga scored late in extra time and LAFC dramatically secured the final spot in the 32-team tournament with a 2-1 victory over Club América in a play-in match Saturday night.

“It’s simply one of the best moments of my career,” Bouanga said. “I love this team, and I love this game.”

LAFC trailed in the waning moments of regulation before Igor Jesus tied it in the 89th minute, slipping through traffic and converting a header for his first goal with his new club.

And after 24 tense minutes of extra time, Bouanga found his moment, just as the Frenchman has done so many times in black and gold.

Bouanga jumped into the play alongside Olivier Giroud and fired home a deflected shot from the top of the penalty area in the 115th minute, setting off a wild party at BMO Stadium and sending LAFC to its first Club World Cup.

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Even LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo ran all the way to the corner to celebrate with his players.

“It’s kind of a culmination of 3 1/2 years of hard work and dedication that just explodes in that moment,” said Cherundolo, who has announced he will leave LAFC after the current season.

LAFC will join English club Chelsea, Brazil’s Flamengo and Tunisia’s ES Tunis when group play begins in two weeks across the U.S. South.

LAFC’s victory is extraordinarily lucrative for the Major League Soccer power, guaranteeing at least $9.55 million in prize money for making the tournament field. The club also has a chance at nearly $100 million more in prize money from FIFA’s nearly $1 billion pool.

“It’s a great achievement and the opportunity of a lifetime,” Bouanga said. “It really opens up some doors for our club.”

Brian Rodríguez put América ahead midway through the second half by converting a penalty kick against his former team, but Las Águilas fell short in front of thousands of supporters. The loss added to a week of heartache for América, which missed the chance to win four straight league titles by losing the Clausura final to Toluca last weekend.

“I can imagine the frustration everyone feels,” coach André Jardine said through a translator. “The team feels the same. … The group is clearly fatigued from the long stretch, but we’ll find a way to come back stronger.”

One spot in the Club World Cup field was open because FIFA disqualified León under its rules against participation by multiple clubs owned by the same entity. León and Pachuca are owned by the same group, and León lost its appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport four weeks ago after attempting to change its ownership structure.

With a stadium full of raucous fans supporting both teams, LAFC and América were cautious in the first half, putting just one shot on target apiece.

Rodríguez beat Hugo Lloris from the spot in the 64th minute, capitalizing on a penalty awarded following a video review of Mark Delgado’s risky, spikes-up challenge on Erick Sánchez. Rodríguez, who came on as a halftime substitute after recently recovering from injury, spent parts of four seasons with LAFC from 2019-22 before the Uruguayan winger moved to América for a hefty transfer fee.

LAFC got moving offensively when Giroud came on as a second-half substitute. The French star nearly tipped home a pass in the box in the 81st minute, but Luis Malagón thwarted him. Bouanga also applied pressure before Jesus, the 22-year-old Brazilian midfielder, finally beat Malagón with a header in the box.

“It feels great to make a contribution,” Jesus said through a translator. “We never lost faith that we could score.”

Lloris stopped a point-blank chance for Javairô Dilrosun in the second half of extra time shortly before Bouanga’s winner.

“This was probably the most gratifying moment for me personally since joining LAFC,” said Cherundolo, who won an MLS Cup title in 2022. “I couldn’t be prouder.”

Tickets for the match were distributed equally between the clubs’ supporters — and América has a large fan base in Los Angeles, where Mexican teams and players are greeted with massive support whenever they visit. América fans mobbed the south stands at BMO Stadium 90 minutes before kickoff, while LAFC’s famed North End crowd was packed.

The largest Club World Cup to date will be held across the U.S. as a precursor to the FIFA World Cup’s return to North America in 2026. Inter Miami and the Seattle Sounders already qualified from MLS, while Pachuca and Monterrey are in from Liga MX.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer