One man was the star of the present as Colorado Rapids beat LAFC 2-1 within the first leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup first-round conflict on Tuesday.
Scorer:Â Mihailovic 48′ (P), 80′; Lengthy 86′
Sitting at 5 levels Fahrenheit (-15 C), it was a sluggish first half between these two Main League Soccer sides regardless of the recent expertise out there on the pitch.
With solely three photographs heading in the right direction mixed after the preliminary 45 minutes, there was every part nonetheless to play for within the second half. Fortunately for the hosts, the skills of Djordje Mihailovic proved the distinction.
The attacking midfielder took one of the best alternative for Colorado when it arrived and broke the impasse solely three minutes after the restart from the penalty spot. Mihailovic despatched the ball down the center as goalkeeper Hugo Lloris dove to his left for 1-0.
Then, after one other half an hour of the 2 groups toying with the ball in midfield, the 26-year-old scored an knowledgeable free-kick completely nestled into the highest left nook. Lloris, once more, was left no probability.
LAFC, who statistically dominated the match with 62% possession of the ball and 15 photographs to seven, left it a bit of too late to threaten any comeback. It was Aaron Lengthy who turned issues again to a one-goal sport within the 86th minute after directing his header towards the again submit.
Nonetheless, the Rapids held on for a significant victory at dwelling forward of the return leg in Los Angeles on February 25.
