Wallace Yan scored in the 86th minute to delight most of the 32,933 on hand and help Flamengo salvage a 1-1 draw against LAFC in both teams’ Group D finale on Tuesday night in Orlando, Fla.
Denis Bouanga gave already-eliminated LAFC (0-2-1, 1 point) the lead only two minutes earlier against Flamengo (2-0-1, 7 points), which entered with the top spot in its FIFA Club World Cup group already secure.
But after the Brazilians struck the woodwork on four separate occasions, twice alone through Giorgian de Arrascaeta, Yan’s late effort ensured his side would take some positive momentum into their second-round meeting against Bayern Munich in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Sunday.
And — as has been the case for Brazilian clubs throughout this tournament — Yan did so before an audience overwhelmingly decked out in the Flamengo black-and-red, celebrating his leveler as though it had been far more consequential.
LAFC was improved from its 1-0 loss to ES Tunis on Friday, and Bouanga’s breakaway goal created by a cleverly timed run earned some redemption for his failure to convert a game-tying penalty against the North Africans.
But only moments after the restart, Yan somehow split three LAFC defenders on the dribble at the penalty arc before dispatching his powerful finish into the bottom left corner.
In the first half, Mark Delgado rattled the right upright with his long-range effort for LAFC, and Flamengo struck the woodwork on three separate occasions.
On the last of those, LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris clattered into teammate Eddie Segura trying to come for a ball into the box. As Lloris lay on the ground, Luiz Araujo found Pedro for a 30th-minute shot toward an open goal that rattled the crossbar.
Lloris, the 38-year-old former World Cup winner, required medical treatment during the ensuing hydration break, but remained in the match.
Then LAFC thought they’d found an opener through Marlon’s 37th-minute header, but Ryan Hollingshead was offside in the buildup.
Flamengo still edged the flow of play after halftime and twice came close in the 58th minute. Everton’s long-range effort forced Lloris into an acrobatic stop, and from the ensuing corner, Pedro sent a similarly agile side volley over the bar.
–Field Level Media
