Hany Mukhtar logged a hat trick and Brian Schwake made seven saves as Nashville SC held off visiting LAFC 3-2 on Sunday night.
Mukhtar’s second goal, which came off a bending free kick from the left side of the box in the 21st minute for a 2-0 Nashville lead, was his 100th goal across all competitions in his seven years with the franchise.
His third goal in the 59th minute also came off a free kick from 25 yards out in the field’s middle. Muhktar drilled it to the upper right corner, just out of reach of goalie Thomas Hasal.
That goal came in handy when Denis Bouanga pulled one back in the 68th minute via Son Heung-Min’s corner kick. Bouanga, standing near the left post, flicked the ball just inside the woodwork.
However, Schwake came up big throughout the match, withstanding LAFC’s fierce attacks often enough to help his team get the result. LAFC (6-5-3, 21 points) owned a 22-8 advantage in shots and a 9-4 margin in shots on frame but couldn’t translate it into a result
Nashville (9-1-3, 30 points) leaned on Schwake at the end. Ryan Hollingshead had a great chance to equalize in the 89th minute on a point-blank shot but Schwake denied him with his left arm.
The match was billed prior to its start as one between two of the league’s top sides. LAFC was just 2-4-2 since a 4-0-1 start but is still considered one of the most talented teams in the league, while Nashville entered as the league’s only unbeaten team at home.
After the first 10 minutes, when Nashville seemed a bit tentative, the hosts it cracked the code in the 13th on a smart counterattack. Warren Madrigal teed up Muhktar on the right side of the box and he beat Hasal low to the left corner.
Nashville appeared poised for a rout after Muhktar’s second marker but LAFC responded in the 22nd minute when Bouanga zipped a pass to David Martinez at the goal mouth for a tap-in tally.
–Field Level Media
