LAFC says goodbye to the Club World Cup with a draw against Flamengo
LAFC did not leave empty-handed in the tournament and rescued a point in their last game of the group stage, the result of a 1-1 draw against Mengao
LAFC could not break Flamengo's unbeaten record and said goodbye to the Club World Cup with a 1-1 draw at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.
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The Californian side surprised the Brazilians by taking the lead through Denis Bouanga in the 84th minute, but Flamengo neutralized the advantage two minutes later with a good individual play by Wallace Yan.
The Rio de Janeiro side, with a lineup full of reserves, looked for a perfect victory, although they were far from the version offered in the first two days of Group D, when they beat Esperance de Tunis (2-0) and Chelsea (3-1).
They had no luck either. Danilo, Pedro and Giorgian de Arrascaeta, the latter with a double, all hit the posts of the goal defended by the Frenchman Hugo Lloris.
The next challenge, on Sunday, will be against Bayern Munich in Miami, looking for a place in the quarterfinals. Bottom-place LAFC says goodbye with just one point after easing into the tournament with a playoff win over América in Liga MX.
Without having to add points and with first place in the group secured, Filipe Luís gave minutes to the lesser-used players and, in the process, spared the starters who were facing suspension, including Brazilian Gerson and Chilean Erick Pulgar.
The number 10, Giorgian de Arrascaeta, did not rest, moving like a fish in water at Camping World in Orlando.
The Uruguayan, wearing the captain's armband, showed up tonight with a venomous shot from a angled free kick that Danilo crashed into the post. Then he pulled a powerful shot out of his hat that made Lloris's crossbar tremble.
The 'Mengao' would still hit the woodwork a third time in the first half when Pedro shot into an empty net, after a communication error between the French goalkeeper and his defense.
LAFC also missed the goal by centimeters. Marco Delgado took advantage of the Rojinegra defense's confusion after a corner to shoot with a curling shot straight at the post.
And it is that, Despite being eliminated, the American team took the match seriously. They tried to narrow the field with tightly packed lines and a five-man defense that occasionally moved forward.
The best results came from their set plays. In the 37th minute, they even scored a goal from Marlon on another corner kick that caught Flamengo off guard. The linesman's raised flag prevented the Brazilian's header from going on the scoreboard.
The loss of intensity on the part of 'Fla' also helped the Angelenos breathe more easily as the clock ticked down.
The Rio de Janeiro side's sluggishness continued throughout the start of the second half.
Giroud, for LAFC, and Michael, for Flamengo, looked to breathe fresh air into their teams' attacks from the bench, but they remained nothing more than blanks.
De Arrascaeta had to appear again to shake things up with another missile from the edge of the area that, to keep with the tradition of the night, also rattled the crossbar.
And when everyone seemed to be signing for a draw, the goals appeared. First, Bouanga, who finished perfectly in front of Rossi, in a worrying mistake by the red-and-black defense.
Flamengo responded instantly with Wallace Yan's goal to leave everything equal and start thinking about the exciting match against the Bavarians.
Flamengo responded instantly with Wallace Yan's goal to leave everything equal and start thinking about the exciting match against the Bavarians.
Flamengo responded instantly with Wallace Yan's goal to leave everything equal and start thinking about the exciting match against the Bavarians.

