26 March 2023 , 15:49
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Denis Bouanga is quickly becoming a fan favourite at Los Angeles FC, and boosted his popularity even more on Saturday as he netted the game winner after rushing back from international duty.
LAFC beat FC Dallas 2-1 on Saturday night to continue their unbeaten start to the 2023 MLS season, but struggled against their opposition who played with 10 men from the 35th minute. Timothy Tillman put LAFC ahead inside three minutes and it looked like they were set to cruise past Dallas, especially when Ema Twumasi was sent off.
But Dallas grew into the game after the red card, and even found an equaliser as they put pressure on the hosts. That was until Bouanga came off the bench to score an 84th minute winner, after heading straight to the stadium from the airport.
Lots of MLS stars were missing for Saturday's matches due to the international break, which led to a slight upset in results around the league due to key omissions. That didn't stop Bouanga though, who played for Gabon on Thursday before flying back in time for LAFC's clash.
Gabon continued their strong start to Africa Cup of Nations qualifying with a 1-0 win over Sudan on Thursday, and Bouanga played the full 90 minutes. Gabon have another clash against Sudan on Monday, but Bouanga decided to travel back in between to offer his services to LAFC.
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Bouanga had to take a 13-hour flight from Turkey on Saturday after already travelling from Gabon, and only landed back in Los Angeles at 5:27pm. Bouanga then headed straight to BMO Stadium and arrived at the ground at 6:46pm, just under two hours before kick-off.
Unsurprisingly, Bouanga didn't start the game after a hectic Saturday of travelling, but was brought on when they were in desperate need of a game winner. LAFC thought they were about to get it when Carlos Vela stepped up to take a 79th minute penalty, but the Mexican missed from the spot.
But the goal did eventually come as Bouanga grabbed the goal with six seconds remaining, and Vela breathed a sigh of relief as he provided the assist. Bouanga's incredible commitment has been hailed by MLS fans, and the Gabonese star can't do much wrong at the moment.
"I have high objectives for myself and the group," Bouanga said when asked why he returned from international duty. "I believe we have a fantastic group that can win back-to-back [MLS Cup's]. I believe that deep down and that is my objective collectively."