Thomas Muller’s nine-man Vancouver Whitecaps outlast Son Heung-Min and LAFC in an instant classic, winning on penalties to advance in the MLS Cup Playoffs
The match looked fairly tight as halftime approached, with both sides appearing destined to head into the break level. Instead, the Whitecaps struck twice in the final five minutes of the first half – and both goals were preventable.
The opener came in the 40th minute, and it was as direct as it gets. Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka launched a long ball over the top to a streaking Emmanuel Sabbi, who raced in behind the LAFC back line and calmly slotted past Hugo Lloris to ignite the sold-out crowd at BC Place. Moments later, the home fans were celebrating again as Mathis Laborda poked home a loose ball from a corner in first-half stoppage time, giving Vancouver a sudden and stunning 2-0 lead.
The visitors weren’t dead yet, though. Their star, Son, dragged them right back into it, netting in the 60th minute to set up a tense finish at BC Place. It suddenly became even more tense in the 93rd minute with Whitecaps defender Tristan Blackmon was sent off with a second yellow card. Two minutes later, Son played hero, smashing a shocking last-gasp free kick into the back of the net to send the game into extra time.
In extra time, the Whitecaps were suddenly the team on the back foot as they dealt with Blackmon’s dismissal and LAFC’s rising momentum. Making matters worse was an injury to Belal Halbouni just minutes after coming on, forcing the Whitecaps down to nine men. LAFC were so close to taking full advantage, too, pressing throughout extra time, including on a sequence that saw the visitors hit the post three times in a matter of seconds. It went to penalties, in the end, as LAFC were unable to find that game-winning goal.
Once there, though, the Whitecaps kept their nerve, taking advantage of missed spotkicks from Son and Marky Delgado to book their place in the Western Conference final against the winner of Monday’s semifinal match between San Diego FC and Minnesota United.
