Noel Caliskan scored his first goal of the season in the 75th minute on Saturday night and Real Salt Lake rallied for a 2-2 draw with visiting LAFC.
Caliskan’s goal came as the result of prolonged pressure by RSL (8-9-5, 29 points) and the inability of LAFC (10-7-7, 37 points) to clear the ball. It culminated in Caliskan jumping on the rebound of Aiden Hezarkhani’s shot and roofing it over goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
LAFC achieved two one-goal leads but couldn’t make them stick, unusual for a team that entered the match with 11 clean sheets. Lloris did his part with seven saves, including a diving stop on Caliskan’s attempt at the right post in the 58th minute.
Denis Bouanga and Son Heung-Min scored goals for LAFC, which was outshot 21-15 and managed just five shots on frame. LAFC dropped to 0-2-4 in their last six matches, while RSL fell to 0-5-3 in their last eight contests.
Son had a breakaway in the 87th minute that could have snapped LAFC’s winless streak. He dribbled around goalie Rafael Cabral (two saves) and aimed a shot just inside the right post, but DeAndre Yedlin made a sliding stop, kicking the ball out of bounds just before it crossed the goal line.
Bouanga initiated scoring in the 14th minute with his 12th marker of the year. Sent in via a long pass down the left side by Son, Bouanga dribbled to his right and unleashed a curling laser into the upper right corner.
RSL equalized four minutes later through Saba Lobjanidze. Collecting a ball in the box, he dribbled into space and fit a shot between Lloris and the left post.
Bouanga and Son reversed roles on the go-ahead goal in the 38th minute. Bouanga broke free down the left side, stopped near the post and found Son, who stopped his run near the 6-yard box. Son blistered a shot off Cabral’s hand and into the net.
LAFC could have gone up 3-1 early in the second half, but Tyler Boyd shanked a point-blank chance wide right of a partially-open net.
–Field Level Media
