Antonio Mohamed said Toluca were hungry to lift the Campeones Cup and the Diablos Rojos delivered on his words in a thrilling 3-2 win over the LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park. Despite Gabriel Pec’s 84th-minute strike giving LA Galaxy the lead and a disallowed Paulinho goal earlier, Mohamed’s side dominated the second half and ultimately saw justice served on the field.
Getty Images SportTELL ME MORE
While LA were underdogs against the Liga MX champions, they got off to a strong start. Diego Fagúndez put the Galaxy ahead in the 37th minute, converting from the spot after Gabriel Pec was brought down by Jesús Gallardo in a controversial call from referee Iván Barton. Fagúndez has now recorded a goal or an assist in four straight matches for Greg Vanney’s side.
Tensions boiled over just before halftime, leading to the dismissal of Toluca head coach Antonio Mohamed for dissent as the teams headed into the break.
pressed early in the second half and quickly found an equalizer through Nico Castro, whose long-range strike in the 53rd minute clipped the post on its way past Novak Micovic. In the 78th minute, Paulinho appeared to give Toluca a 2-1 lead with a headed finish from a set piece, but the goal was ruled out for offside after a VAR review.
Toluca were still reeling from the disallowed goal when the Galaxy struck what looked like the winner in the 83rd minute. Pec, capping off an outstanding performance, beat Hugo González to put his team ahead. But before the clock hit 90 minutes, Franco Romero silenced Dignity Health Sports Park by smashing home a rebound from a set piece in the 88th to make it 2-2.
The match seemed destined for extra time, but Toluca dashed LA’s hopes in the 90+3rd minute. Uruguayan defender Federico Pereira rose to head home a corner, delivering a dramatic 3-2 victory and the championship. Tempers flared at the final whistle but didn’t escalate beyond some shoving.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportDID YOU KNOW?
For Toluca, it marked their first Campeones Cup title and the fourth overall for a Liga MX side, joining Tigres (twice) and Club América as previous Mexican winners.
Getty Images SportTHE MVP
Federico Pereira rose as the game’s MVP, delivering the decisive blow in stoppage time to hand Toluca a dramatic victory and complete the treble. With his late winner, he secured a historic run for , who now add the Campeones Cup to their Liga MX and Campeón de Campeones titles.
Getty Images SportTHE BIG LOSER
Manager Greg Vanney had admitted in his pre-match press conference that winning the Campeones Cup could help salvage what has been a disappointing MLS campaign, with Galaxy sitting bottom of the Western Conference. But that didn’t happen. The defeat puts Vanney back on the hot seat, as LA have had a disappointing title defense this season. The team is already eliminated from the playoffs and sits last in the Western Conference.
