Flamengo draws with Los Angeles FC and remains undefeated in the Club World Cup
Wallace Yan shines again and secures 1-1 draw
Flamengo was already in the lead of Group D of the Club World Cup when it took to the field on Tuesday night against Los Angeles FC at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. Even so, the team remained restless at all times and dominated the offensive actions, but, in a defensive blunder towards the end of the second half, Bouanga took advantage to open the scoring for the American team. The Rubro-Negro responded soon after with a star goal by Wallace Yan, who tied the game at 1-1 and ensured the team’s unbeaten run in the tournament.
The result kept Flamengo alone at the top of the group with seven points, while Chelsea, who beat Espérance (TUN) 3-0, are right behind with six. The African team, in turn, finished in third place, while Los Angeles finished last, both eliminated. Filipe Luís’ team now prepares to face Bayern Munich in the round of 16, second place in Group C.
Crossbar punishes Flamengo
The teams were still studying their positioning on the field and feeling the atmosphere of the game when Flamengo, who played with a mixed team , had a clear chance after just three minutes. Arrascaeta took a free kick to the far post, and Danilo arrived dangerously to finish against the post, with the entire goal in front of him. Los Angeles FC, however, intensified their attacks and responded in kind after 10 minutes, with a well-placed shot by Delgado that hit Rossi’s post after a rehearsed corner kick.
Two minutes later, Rubro-Negro created another dangerous opportunity with a dangerous shot from Arrascaeta outside the area. And guess what? The ball hit the crossbar. From then on, Filipe Luís’ team dominated the offensive actions and began to surround the American team’s area. A great chance, however, only came in the 29th minute, when Pedro shot again hit the crossbar, but the game was already stopped for treatment to goalkeeper Lloris, who was injured after the ball was thrown into the area. But, incredibly enough, it was Los Angeles FC who found the net, with a header from Marlon almost 10 minutes later. Luckily for Flamengo, the referee called offside on the play and disallowed the goal.
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At the end of the first half, Flamengo’s superiority did not translate into the scoreboard and the teams went into the locker room at 0-0. The Rio team closed the first half with 67% possession and 10 shots in total, compared to Los Angeles’ two.
After the scare, the relief
The second half started off slow, but Flamengo managed to heat up the game, maintaining their good offensive volume and creating an opportunity in the 12th minute, when Cebolinha shot a shot that required a great save from Lloris. Soon after, Pedro took advantage of a corner kick and shot over the goal with a shot that scared the French goalkeeper. Los Angeles FC continued with their strategy of trying to create chances on the counterattack, while Rubro-Negro maintained control of the match. In the 24th minute, Flamengo hit the post for the fourth time with a firm shot from Arrascaeta that was stopped by Lloris’ crossbar.
But in a quick free kick in the 38th minute, Tillman slipped a good ball to Bouanga, who just took it from Rossi inside the area to open the score in favor of Los Angeles FC. The answer, however, came soon after, in the 40th minute, with the brilliance of Wallace Yan, who became the protagonist once again by speeding past the defense and finishing firmly, to the left of Lloris, to equalize and transform the goal that would end Flamengo’s unbeaten run into nothing more than a scare.
Flamengo’s next game
Flamengo returns to the field next Sunday, when they face Bayern Munich in the round of 16 of the World Cup. The match is scheduled for 5 pm (Brasília time), at the Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami.
