Denis Bouanga added another chapter to his Leagues Cup legacy as LAFC survived a red card and edged LIGA MX leaders Pachuca on penalties in Leagues Cup 2025.
Bouanga opened the scoring in the 10th minute, extending his record as the tournament’s all-time top scorer with 13 goals. His calm finish was his first goal of this year’s edition and continued a prolific 2025 campaign that has seen him score across MLS, Leagues Cup, Concacaf Champions Cup, Club World Cup, and for Gabon in international qualifiers.
“I hope to stay on top,” Bouanga said. “Now I’ll try to have a bigger gap with [Lionel] Messi.”
After LAFC went down to 10 men, they held strong through 90 minutes and relied on Bouanga again to convert their first penalty in the shootout. The win gave LAFC two crucial points and kept them alive heading into the final matchday of Phase One.
“The way we played, we were not losing,” said head coach Steve Cherundolo.
