Kei Kamara scored the tying goal in the 90th minute to help visiting Los Angeles FC to a 1-1 draw with Austin FC on Wednesday in a Western Conference clash played in a downpour.
LAFC dominated the game’s statistics, earning advantages in possession percentage (59.5 percent to 40.5 percent), shots (17-3), total passes (529-372), passing accuracy (85.8 percent to 78.8 percent), corners (8-1) and crosses (11-4). Still, the visitors were held scoreless until the waning minutes, when a breakdown in the Austin defense opened the door and Kamara made the most of his opportunity.
LAFC (10-4-4, 34 points) had an eight-match winning streak over all competitions snapped, including its last four.
Austin (6-7-6, 24 points), playing their first home contest in three weeks, are winless in their past five games (0-3-2) and earned just their second point over that stretch. The Verde had just one shot on target for the second consecutive game.
Austin’s Jader Obrian produced the game’s first goal in the 19th minute, working a keen give-and-go with Sebastian Driussi before unleashing a right-footed shot between a pair of Los Angeles defenders from just outside the box. The shot caught LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris flat-footed and found the left side of the goal.
LAFC pressed for the equalizer as Mateusz Bogusz fired a shot in the 40th minute but missed the top right corner.
Los Angeles was on the offensive early in the second half when Denis Bouanga tested Austin keeper Brad Stuver from a sharp angle in the 47th minute, but the Verde keeper swatted away the kick. Bouanga had another shot on goal in the 79th minute, but it was again from an extreme angle and Stuver was up to the task.
That set the stage for Kamara and Bogusz. The latter threaded a pass from the short corner across the box to Kamala, who headed his shot into the opposite corner of the net to tie the game and allow the visitors to split the points as the rain intensified.
The teams played seven added minutes in a deluge and settled for the draw.
–Field Level Media
