HIGHLIGHTS | LAFC vs Club León – June 4, 2023
The road to the CONCACAF Champions League title has ended as the Black and Gold came up short in the second leg of the LAFC vs Club León CCL finals. Club León defeated LAFC 1-0 on Saturday at BMO Stadium and won their first continental title.
LAFC entered the game down with a 2-1 aggregate following the first leg against Club León last Wednesday, hoping to give Major League Soccer its second consecutive Champions League victory after Seattle Sounders FC defeated Pumas UNAM in 2022.
The first 20 minutes of the LAFC vs Club León CONCACAF Champions League final was neck in neck, but León’s Ivan Moreno found Lucas Di Yorio at the top of the goal area who shot through LAFC goalkeeper John McCarthy at the near post.
At halftime, LAFC manager Steve Cherundolo substituted José Cifuentes for Giorgio Chiellini and took Carlos Vela off the field in the 64th minute as the home team struggled to find any momentum on offense.
“We were a bit surprised by Steve’s tactical change,” said Club León manager Nicolas Larcamon. “I think that it was one of the first challenges in the second leg of the final.”
Before the 70 minute mark, Club León’s Lucas Romero and LAFC’s Aaron Long accidentally butted heads, and both required medical attention. Minutes after, Cifu found an open Mahala Opoku for a great look but his shot attempt was blocked by León goalkeeper Rodolfo Cota.
10+ minutes of stoppage time was all that was left to add to the reel of LAFC vs Club León highlights, but following Timothy Tillman’s missed shot at the 93’, that was all she wrote for the Black and Gold. León’s victory secures them a spot in the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia, along with an automatic bid to the expanded 32-team Club World Cup in 2025.
LAFC will now continue its 2023 MLS campaign on Wednesday, June 7 at home against Atlanta United.
