Eddie Segura stuns Toluca at the death to keep LAFC's Leagues Cup hopes alive

LOS ANGELES -- For nearly 90 minutes, LAFC’s biggest problem against Toluca was finishing. In the final moments, the club found an unlikely answer.

Eddie Segura’s stoppage-time strike gave LAFC a 1-0 victory over the reigning Concacaf Champions Cup winners Saturday night at BMO Stadium, keeping the Black & Gold firmly in the mix for a place in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals.

The goal was a fitting reward for a team that spent much of the night creating opportunities without finding the final touch. Denis Bouanga had several chances, Mathieu Choinière hit the post from outside the box and Toluca goalkeeper Hugo González made a pair of important saves to keep the match scoreless.

Not to be outdone, Hugo Lloris had arguably the most important save of the match with the game in balance, stifling Helinho after a long pass from Toluca's half set him up clear on goal.

LAFC also had to withstand a physical Toluca side early in the match. The Mexican club made it difficult for LAFC to establish its rhythm, but the hosts gradually found more control and began creating chances of their own.

“We are happy that we created,” LAFC head coach Marc Dos Santos said after the match. “That's the first part, right? If you don't create, we created.”

That creation ultimately mattered, even with LAFC failing to capitalize on most of its opportunities. The Black & Gold continued pressing forward late, with Dos Santos turning to his bench in an effort to avoid a penalty shootout.

Jacob Shaffelburg entered in the 84th minute, and his involvement proved decisive. In stoppage time, Shaffelburg worked his way around his defender on the left and sent a cross into the box. A Toluca defender got a head to it, but the clearance fell directly to Segura at the edge of the box.

Segura took a touch and fired a right-footed shot into the corner, beating González and sending BMO Stadium into a frenzy.

“I tried,” Segura said. “There wasn't much space where I could make the goal, and I tried. I'm very happy that it came out quite well.”

For Segura, the moment carried more weight than simply being the winning goal. The defender has spent the season moving between positions depending on what LAFC needed, and Dos Santos pointed to that willingness as one of the reasons the goal was especially meaningful.

“He never cries about it,” Dos Santos said. “It's the type of player that if you have a wide sheet and you start building a roster in this league, number one, because he could help so much in the roster.”

Segura’s versatility had him playing defensive positions throughout the season, but on Saturday he provided the offensive contribution LAFC had been searching for all night.

“I always try to give 100 percent,” Segura said. “Wherever the coach feels that I am important, I will be ready to give everything.”

That mentality has extended beyond Segura. Dos Santos said the performances from players with less-defined roles have been a major positive during LAFC’s Leagues Cup run, pointing to training sessions in which reserve players continued to push despite limited playing time.

“They train so well,” Dos Santos said. “Those signs were so clear that if we would make subs today, they would create something.”

Segura did exactly that.

The victory gives LAFC five points in Phase One with one match remaining. The club now has a chance to reach the quarterfinals when it faces Querétaro on Wednesday, a position Dos Santos said the team has earned through its approach to the competition.

“We wanted to win today to get to the five points and then be close and have a big chance on Wednesday,” Dos Santos said. “That's the only thing we can control.”

There is still plenty of work ahead. LAFC has already played twice in four days, and Dos Santos acknowledged the physical demands facing his squad. But after doing enough to beat Toluca, the Black & Gold now have an opportunity to extend their Leagues Cup run.

“We put ourselves in this position,” Dos Santos said. “Now we have to go for it again.”

Segura, meanwhile, knows exactly what the team will be carrying into Wednesday: belief.

“It's very nice when you have rivals in front of you who have the same intentions,” he said. “When both want to fight, want to battle, you can see it on the field.”