LA Galaxy pull off another 'El Trafico' comeback to draw with LAFC

Romain Alessandrini and Ola Kamara scored in the final 10 minutes to lead the visiting LA Galaxy from two goals down to a 2-2 draw against LAFC on Thursday evening at Banc of California Stadium.

The Galaxy now have a win and a draw in their first two games against their expansion, intra-city rivals. They came behind again after an incredible 4-3 victory over LAFC in late March at the StubHub Center, where the Galaxy rallied from a 3-0 deficit.

This time around, Carlos Vela and Lee Nguyen scored in the first half to give LAFC an early lead. The hosts had plenty of time and chances to add to their advantage before allowing the Galaxy's comeback, which was helped by a poor backwards pass from Andre Horta in the Portuguese 21-year-old's LAFC debut.

"All of us really want to win this game, and certainly not lose it," Kamara said. "This is the game that has the highest intensity for sure, and also the [highest] quality of players in it. It's a lot of fun."

Vela admitted LAFC were fortunate to come away with even a point.

"If the game was five minutes longer, we would have lost for sure," the Mexican World Cup standout said.

LAFC remains in second place in the Western Conference, while the Galaxy, unbeaten in their last eight, sit fourth.

Vela gave LAFC the lead in the seventh minute to punctuate a bright start for the hosts, finding a spot at the edge of the six-yard box and heading in Adama Diomande's cross from right. The goal came only moments after Vela missed connecting with another cross from the opposite side.

It was 2-0 only 13 minutes later. Mark-Anthony Kaye won a free kick when he induced the Galaxy's Perry Kitchen into a foul.

Kaye was hurt in the process and required a substitution, departing in favor of Eduard Atuesta. And as soon as referee Alan Kelly blew his whistle to resume play, Nguyen stepped up and curled a free kick over the wall and inside the left corner.

Kaye fractured a bone in his ankle and will require surgery, LAFC coach Bob Bradley confirmed after the game.

That was just the start of the bad news for LAFC, which controlled most of the match and led 7-1 in shots on target before the Galaxy pulled a goal back in the 82nd minute.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic provided the service from the right to Alessandrini, who controlled the ball with his chest and then fired a vicious half-volley across his body and inside the left post.

The game was level only four minutes later when Kamara seized upon an ill-advised pass from Horta into his own defensive half. With LAFC's defenders surprised, Kamara ran onto the ball, rounded goalkeeper Tyler Miller and slotted the ball into an empty net.

"Andre Horta is going to be a very, very good player for us," Bradley said. "I feel bad for him, but he's young. He's been waiting a long time to get his chance, but obviously it's a very bad decision for him to play the ball that far back."