LOS ANGELES -- On the cusp of defeat, Denis Bouanga and LAFC fought even to force a 2-2 draw against St. Louis City SC on Sunday evening at BMO Stadium.
Bouanga, who scored both goals for Los Angeles in the match, came up big with the heroic goal in stoppage time to cap off what was a wild final few minutes of play. He managed to maneuver into the box on an impressive feed from Cengiz Under, using his footwork to free himself between three defenders for a ridiculous strike that St. Louis goalkeeper Benjamin Lundt could do nothing but watch.
A GOAL IN THE FINAL MOMENTS FROM DENIS BOUANGA 💥 https://t.co/xV8Gctm5yW pic.twitter.com/hIiGtUeZpI
— LAFC (@LAFC) April 28, 2025
Just moments earlier, St. Louis had taken the lead via a chaotic free kick in the 89th minute. The kick ultimately wound up deflecting off of LAFC's Nathan Ordaz and into the net after numerous deflections as the devastating own goal had the black and gold trailing 2-1 in heartbreaking fashion.
In the 75th, Bouanga had his own chance to grab the second score of the game for Los Angeles with a penalty, but Lundt came up big to make the stop and temporarily preserve the tie for St. Louis. Bouanga's first score of the contest came in the 70th minute as he brought the squad even at one on what was another perfect feed from Under.
Served on a platter by Cengiz Under 🎯
— LAFC (@LAFC) April 28, 2025
Denis Bouanga is there to draw us level. https://t.co/2fyMCjunOx pic.twitter.com/foAxLA2Ohg
Under, who came onto the pitch as a substitution in the 69th minute, made his presence immediately felt in what was a big game for him.
The two scores allowed LAFC to salvage what would have been a tough loss as St. Louis was forced to battle through the final seven minutes of regulation and beyond down one man. Alfredo Morales was served a red card in the 83rd minute after picking up his second yellow.
Bouanga, the 30-year-old forward who failed to score throughout his first six MLS games of the season, has caught fire recently to help Los Angeles avoid the loss column. He has now found the net in each of his last three games, posting four goals total in that span.
After salvaging a point in Sunday's late-match chaos, LAFC is now 4-2-2 overall and sits in eighth in the Western Conference.
They will prepare to host the Houston Dynamo next Saturday as they look to get revenge for a 1-0 loss in Houston back on April 5. Houston is currently 13th in the Western Conference, but managed to fight through the month of April without taking a loss.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT.