A 95th-minute golazo from Anderson Julio rescued all three points for Real Salt Lake in a 2-1 victory over the LA Galaxy at Rio Tinto Stadium Wednesday evening.
RSL are refusing to bow out of the Audi MLS Cup Playoff race, winning three out of their last four matches, including two impressive wins over the Seattle Sounders and now, the Galaxy. LA's continued slide sees them winless in their past eight matches ahead of Sunday's massive upcoming clash against rivals LAFC in this season's third El Trafico.
With three points, the hosts jump from seventh to fifth in the West, pushing the Galaxy further down the standings into sixth. RSL seem to be finding results under interim head coach Pablo Mastroeni, with the club now 4W-3L-0D under the former Colorado Rapids boss.
Their response after a 6-1 thumping against the Portland Timbers in Week 27 saw them come out on the front foot against the Galaxy while goalkeeper David Ochoa put on a clinic.
It seemed as if the Galaxy had secured a point on the road late, but RSL came storming back against the run of play to find a winner in stoppage time. Damir Kreilach found Anderson Julio making a run down the center of the pitch toward the Galaxy box and the Ecuadorian controlled the ball perfectly, taking it over a defender's head before unleashing a left-footed volley in stunning fashion.
Earlier, Kreilach scored the opener, notching his 12th goal of the season right before the halftime whistle. The ball just trickled over the goal line after Galaxy goalkeeper Jonathan Bond got an initial hand on it before he then again palmed it out of the net.
Ochoa put on a stunning performance between the sticks, making three outstanding saves before the Galaxy finally found the back of the net in the 76th minute.
Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez was served the ball on a platter in the box by Efrain Alvarez, and after a quick swivel of the hips, the Galaxy striker found the back of the net to bring things level. With momentum, the Galaxy started to push for a second, but Ochoa's heroics stopped them in their tracks.
Goals
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: This could be the most important result RSL earn this season, with the club stabilizing their place in the Audi MLS Cup Playoff places and now even eyeing a top-four spot and a Round One home game. For the Galaxy, it’s a continued stumble. It’s now been over a month since they’ve won a game and they’re slowly plummeting down the West; if they don’t arrest the slide soon, they could miss out on the playoffs altogether.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Anderson Julio’s game-winning volley in stoppage time. One word: Iconic. Okay, maybe six: Did he really just do that?
- MAN OF THE MATCH: David Ochoa. The homegrown RSL goalkeeper put on a clinic, making four saves en route to a 2-1 win.
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