The LA Galaxy took out one of the last two undefeated teams in MLS on Friday, as they beat the Houston Dynamo 2-1 at Dignity Health Sports Park.
Diego Polenta scored his first MLS goal to win it late for the home side, which snapped Houston's unbeaten start in league play and showed LA's proclivity to struggle for fluid play but nonetheless find a win.
The breakthrough came when AJ DeLaGarza tackled Ibrahimovic in Houston's box to concede a penalty. The Swede converted the penalty, just beating Joe Willis in goal, to make it 1-0 for the Galaxy. Ibrahimovic has seven goals in five appearances this season, having scored in every game he's appeared in so far in 2019.
Shortly after the halftime break, the tables were turned as Alberth Elis drew a penalty from Jorgen Skjelvik, and the Dynamo man tied up the match with his spot kick.
From there, the Dynamo's defense was stout from the run of play, but they were undone once again on a dead ball, as Polenta headed in Jonathan dos Santos' corner kick to grab the dramatic winner for the Galaxy.
Goals
- 31' – LA – Zlatan Ibrahimovic (PK) | WATCH
- 53' – HOU – Alberth Elis (PK) | WATCH
- 88' – LA – Diego Polenta
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: The Galaxy have settled into a routine -- get muddy in the trenches and find a moment or two of magic to carry the day. That pattern prevailed in this game. The Dynamo will be disappointed by the late concession, which capped off a rough night for AJ DeLaGarza, but their defense remained organized throughout the night.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: No question, the winning goal was the pivotal moment of the match.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Polenta and Ibrahimovic have cases, to be sure, but dos Santos kept the Galaxy level-headed throughout the evening, putting in a good two-way shift in midfield and setting up the winning goal when it looked like the teams were destined for a draw.
NEXT UP: Wednesday, April 24 at Minnesota United (8 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US; DAZN in Canada)
