ES Tunis stuns Los Angeles FC in FIFA Club World Cup match at Geodis Park
In a tournament built on big moments, ES Tunis delivered the only one, stunning Los Angeles FC and proving it belongs on the big stage.
The FIFA Club World Cup made its way to Geodis Park for the first time in history, with 13,651 fans in attendance. The matchup consisted of two teams from Group D, Los Angeles FC and ES Tunis.
In a must-win game for both teams to advance past the group stage, ES Tunis came out on top by defeating LAFC 1-0.
"Thank God we were playing with all we had," ES Tunis goalkeeper Ben Said said. "We had a great performance in this match."
The first half consisted of very limited offense, but when the opportunities came for LAFC, mistakes cost them. LAFC appeared to score two goals, but both were wiped out by offsides calls.
Twenty-five minutes into the second half, the lone goal was scored.
ES Tunis was on the attack, trying to get out in front of LAFC's defense. After Amine Ben Hamida's shot from the top left corner of the box was deflected, Youcef Belaïli was there to follow up.
Belaïli found it on the left corner of the 6-yard box and netted the first goal of the match in the 70th minute, putting ES Tunis up 1-0.
LAFCA had a final chance to avoid a loss. In the 98th minute, Igor Jesus was fouled in the box, prompting a penalty kick.
Denis Bouanga was selected to take the shot and face Said. Bouanga's shot was sent toward the middle of the goal and stopped by Said.
"The disappointment is written on our players faces, possibly mine as well," LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo said. "And to be fair, they had a few more chances in the second half, so maybe they deserved to win because of that. But when you miss a penalty at the death, it's always hard to accept."
The top two teams from each group advance to the next round, and with Chelsea losing its first match on June 20 to Flamengo, LAFC and ES Tunis both needed this game badly.
Both teams lost in their first game of the FIFA Cub World Cup. On June 16, LAFC fell to Chelsea 2-0 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. ES Tunis dropped its first contest to Flamengo 2-0 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
Flamengo has picked up two wins, giving it six points, Chelsea's lone victory gives it three points, which meant the winner of this matchup would be bumped up right next to Chelsea, giving itself a chance to get out of the Group Stage.