Denis Bouanga fuels LAFC to surprise road win over Minnesota United

Denis Bouanga scored on a first-half penalty kick and Los Angeles FC held on for a 1-0 victory over Minnesota United on Wednesday night in Saint Paul, Minn.

Hugo Lloris finished with three saves for his third consecutive shutout and ninth of the season for LAFC (10-5-5, 35 points). It was the first-ever win in seven tries in Minnesota for Los Angeles, and also just its second road win of the season.

Dayne St. Clair made five saves for Minnesota United (11-5-7, 40 points), which had a four-match unbeaten streak (3-0-1) snapped.

Both goaltenders had to make diving two-handed saves to prevent goals in the first 22 minutes and keep the game scoreless. St. Clair's came in the eighth minute when he turned away Bouanga's curling free kick outside the box that was headed for the left corner, while Lloris stopped Joaquin Pereyra's left-footed try from outside the middle of the box by the right post.

Bouanga put Los Angeles ahead, 1-0, in the 42nd minute when he roofed a right-footed penalty kick into the top left corner for his 11th goal. The score was set up when Minnesota defender Nicolas Romero was called for a foul in the middle of the box, knocking down Jeremy Ebobisse as he dribbled toward the net.

LAFC, playing its first match without team captain and star center-back Aaron Long, who ruptured his left Achilles tendon in a 2-0 victory over FC Dallas on Saturday, employed a five-man back line that shut down the Loons in the second half. Minnesota's best scoring chance came in the 71st minute when Joseph Rosales tried a sharp-angle shot from the left side of the box that Lloris easily saved.

Bouanga twice had chances to add an insurance goal late in the game, but his one-on-one chip try against St. Clair from the middle of the box in the 87th minute went wide and St. Clair made a sliding kick save on his breakaway right-footed try in the 90th minute.

--Field Level Media