Date: Tuesday, March 17–18, 2026 | Venue: Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, Alajuela, Costa Rica | Competition: 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup, Round of 16, Second Leg
Final Score: LD Alajuelense 1 – 2 LAFC Aggregate: Alajuelense 2 – 3 LAFC | LAFC advance to Quarterfinals
It was the kind of night that Costa Rican football dreams are made of — and then, in the cruelest way, shattered. Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto roared to life in just the fourth minute when Santiago van der Putten headed home to put Alajuelense ahead on aggregate, sending shockwaves throughout the stadium. For the next hour, the home crowd dared to believe. Formula 1 They dared to believe that their beloved Liga Deportiva Alajuelense — the most decorated club in Costa Rican football history — was about to eliminate one of MLS’s most formidable sides and march into the CONCACAF Champions Cup Quarterfinals.
Then came David Martínez. Then came heartbreak.
Completing a second-half comeback, David Martínez’s dramatic goal in stoppage time secured a 2-1 LAFC win over Alajuelense to advance to the Concacaf Champions Cup Quarterfinals 3-2 on aggregate. The young substitute, barely on the pitch for half an hour, took two touches and unleashed a thunderbolt from 25 yards that flew into the top corner and broke thousands of Costa Rican hearts simultaneously. Los Angeles Football Club, once again, had found a way.
The Context: Everything That Led Here
To fully appreciate the drama of this second leg, you must understand what came before it. LAFC played to a 1-1 draw with LD Alajuelense of Costa Rica in the first leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 series at BMO Stadium on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. LAFC outshot Alajuelense 28-4 and placed 11 shots on target but could only get one past goalkeeper Washington Ortega.
Alejandro Bran scored in the 44th minute and Denis Bouanga converted a Son Heung-min assist in the 56th in the opening leg at BMO Field in Los Angeles. That result, combined with LAFC’s 31-4 edge in shot attempts, signalled a return tie likely to hinge on finishing and defensive resilience.
After pocketing a regulation-time away goal, Alajuelense, the most decorated club in Costa Rican soccer, returned home Tuesday night decently positioned to knock out LAFC in the second leg. MLB 2026 Opening Day schedule, A goalless effort or a loss for LAFC would secure Alajuelense’s ascension to the next stage via aggregate score or the away-goal rule.
LAFC would advance to the quarterfinals of the Champions Cup with a win, or any draw other than 0-0 or 1-1. A 1-1 tie over 90 minutes would see the series go to extra time, while a 0-0 draw or Alajuelense win would knock LAFC out of the Champions Cup.
The stakes could not have been higher. And the match delivered on every level.
First Half: Alajuelense Stuns Hugo Lloris — 1-0 (2-1 on Aggregate)
It was expected LAFC would come out on the front foot, looking for an early goal. However, it was the home side Alajuelense that came out putting the pressure on, knowing they wouldn’t do well in a match that saw them just sit back and absorb the pressure.
The gamble paid off almost immediately.
Alajuelense got off to a dream start inside five minutes of Tuesday’s Leg 2 at Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, taking a 2-1 aggregate lead through a header from defender Santiago van der Putten. LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris saved an initial attempt, but Van Der Putten pounced on the rebound to nod home the opener.
Santiago van der Putten put Alajuelense in front very early on in the contest, firing home a rebound shot amidst a scramble after Hugo Lloris denied an initial try from Celso Borges.
The Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto erupted. The home crowd, who had been warned before kickoff that Alajuelense would need to be brave rather than passive, saw their team deliver exactly that — immediate aggression, pressure, and a reward inside four minutes. With the aggregate score now 2-1 in Alajuelense’s favour, LAFC now needed to score — not merely avoid conceding — to stay alive in the tournament.
The silver lining for Los Angeles was that they already knew they needed a goal to push it to extra time at the very least if they didn’t win it with a clean sheet.
The rest of the first half was a grinding, physical affair. The pace of the match was breathtaking, leading to a high degree of physicality. Match referee Marco Antonio Ortíz Nava became a busy man issuing yellow cards to Guillermo Villalobos and Creichel Pérez from Alajuelense, while Eddie Segura and Denis Bouanga also found the referee’s notebook for LAFC.
More chances fell LAFC’s way as the clock moved towards half-time. Denis Bouanga started to become more of an influence, creating opportunities for Nkosi Tafari, Nathan Ordaz, and Segura in quick succession, but Alajuelense held firm.
The half-time whistle blew with the score 1-0 to Alajuelense on the night, 2-1 on aggregate. LAFC were on the brink of elimination. In the visitors’ dressing room, Steve Cherundolo had 15 minutes to change the course of the tie.
Second Half: Son Sparks a Brawl, Ordaz Delivers the Equalizer
The start of the second half was spicy right from the start with tensions rising from both sides. Heung-Min Son earned a yellow card for his part in a scuffle that broke out between the two sides, and that seemed to really spark Los Angeles even more.
Ironically, it was exactly the spark LAFC needed. Football has a strange way of channelling chaos into momentum, and the physical confrontation appeared to galvanise the visitors.
Just moments after all the pushing and shoving, it was LAFC who finally struck and got the goal they had been working towards. A great pass from Denis Bouanga found the young Nathan Ordaz, who needed just one touch to send it flying past the outstretched keeper for the equaliser in the 51st minute.
Ordaz delivered the critical equaliser in minute 51 after Nkosi Tafari sent a pass down the pitch towards Timothy Tillman that was headed away by Alajuelense’s Guillermo Villalobos. The ball landed conveniently at the feet of Mark Delgado, who perfectly set up Ordaz to finish the chance.
Delgado got his first of two assists on the night, laying the ball off for Ordaz to deliver a left-footed strike from the middle of the 18-yard box.
The aggregate score was now 2-2. Under the competition’s rules, if it stayed that way, the match would go to extra time. Both teams knew the landscape had shifted completely.
The Tense Final Half-Hour: Two Teams, One Tie, No Quarter Given
The match settled down a lot once LAFC found the equaliser. Alajuelense were a bit timid to go for it as recklessly as they were before, knowing a second goal for LA all but sealed their elimination, while the Black & Gold were tightening the screws on the match.
Back came Alajuelense with Celso Borges, whose long-range effort brought out the best in Lloris. With ten minutes left, both sides went for the win. Alejandro Bran narrowly missed wide for the home side, followed by Joel Campbell and then Ángel Zaldívar. The Alajuelense supporters could sense the opportunity for the upset victory, and the noise level increased to unprecedented levels.
By this point the match stats reflected the balance of the tie: Alajuelense held 37% possession to LAFC’s 63%, with eight total shot attempts to LAFC’s 13, but four shots on goal to LAFC’s three — a testament to Alajuelense’s clinical efficiency when they did threaten.
The clock moved past 85 minutes. Past 88. Past 90. The fourth official held up the board: three minutes of added time. For Alajuelense, three minutes to protect their place in the tournament. For LAFC, three minutes to find a miracle.
Stoppage Time Drama: Martínez Breaks Costa Rica’s Heart
In the second minute of added time at the end of the second half, Martínez received a pass from Mark Delgado, took two touches forward and then bashed a 25-yard left-footed strike into the top right corner of the net.
The goal was stunning in its audacity, its technique, and its timing. LAFC are favourites for this competition for a reason, and in Bouanga and second-half substitute David Martínez, they possess players who can produce the unexpected — and it was Martínez who would break the hearts of the home side.
The 20-year-old, who replaced Ordaz in the 64th minute, earned his second goal in Concacaf play this year. Martínez made the most of the three stoppage-time minutes awarded, firing from well beyond the box with a left-footed strike that sailed past Alajuelense goalkeeper Washington Ortega and into the right corner of the net.
The stadium fell silent. LAFC’s travelling supporters erupted. The final whistle confirmed what few had believed possible when van der Putten had headed home in the fourth minute: Los Angeles Football Club had done it again.
Full Match Statistics
The official match statistics confirmed LAFC’s dominance in possession and volume: Alajuelense 37% — LAFC 63% possession; shots on goal Alajuelense 4 — LAFC 3; total shot attempts Alajuelense 8 — LAFC 13; yellow cards 3-3; corner kicks Alajuelense 2 — LAFC 10; saves Alajuelense 1 — LAFC 3.
Goals:
- 4′ — Santiago van der Putten (Alajuelense) — header from rebound
- 51′ — Nathan Ordaz (LAFC) — left-footed first-time finish
- 90+2′ — David Martínez (LAFC) — 25-yard left-footed thunderbolt
Assists: Mark Delgado ×2 (Ordaz goal + Martínez goal)
Yellow Cards: Villalobos, Pérez, van der Putten (Alajuelense); Segura, Bouanga, Son (LAFC)
The Aggregate Story: First Leg Recap
The first leg at BMO Stadium on March 10, 2026, ended 1-1 with LAFC dominating statistically: possession 76%-24%, shots on goal 11-3, shot attempts 28-4, corner kicks 10-2.
Alejandro Bran’s 44th-minute goal for Alajuelense snapped a streak of 443 minutes without conceding a goal in all competitions for LAFC. Prior to that, LAFC had not allowed a goal since the 51st minute of the 6-1 win over Real España in Honduras on February 17.
Denis Bouanga’s second-half goal in the first leg was his fourth of the 2026 Champions Cup, making him the top scorer in the competition that year. He now has 14 all-time goals in Concacaf play, including four against Alajuelense. Son Heung-Min was credited with the assist on Bouanga’s goal, giving him a team-best four in the Champions Cup and seven in all competitions in 2026.
Star Performers: Who Shone Across the Two Legs
David Martínez (LAFC): The 20-year-old substitute wrote his name into LAFC history with the 90+2′ winner. Cool, composed, and lethal from distance — a player with a huge future.
Nathan Ordaz (LAFC): The 22-year-old forward ran onto a feed from Mark Delgado and lashed a first-time shot into the net
to drag LAFC level when it mattered most. Composed under enormous pressure.
Mark Delgado (LAFC): Two assists on the night. The veteran midfielder was the calm conductor of LAFC’s comeback, finding the right ball at the right moment twice when his team needed it most.
Denis Bouanga (LAFC): Bouanga reached 14 goals in the competition across his Concacaf career and scored the 450th goal in Round of 16 history in the Concacaf Champions Cup in the first leg. His influence in the second leg was felt in the buildup to Ordaz’s equaliser.
Son Heung-Min (LAFC): Son now has a goal and seven assists in six matches across all competitions in 2026. Even earning a yellow card in the second leg, his energy and creativity were central to everything LAFC produced going forward.
Washington Ortega (Alajuelense): The goalkeeper was heroic in defeat, making save after save to keep LAFC at bay — particularly in the first leg where he made 10 saves against 11 shots on target.
What This Means: LAFC March Into the Quarterfinals
LAFC remains unbeaten in 2026, improving its record to 7-0-1 and 3-0-1 in the Champions Cup this year. Los Angeles is now 3-0-0 in its away matches in Champions Cup play this year.
Los Angeles FC will oppose either Monterrey or Cruz Azul in the quarterfinals, with the two Mexican rivals having completed their series late Tuesday night.
LAFC is making its fourth appearance in the Round of 16 and has advanced on each previous occasion. The club’s Round of 16 record now reads: GP-7 W-3 D-1 L-3 (GF-12 GA-7).
In LAFC’s only previous visit to Costa Rica, the club beat Alajuelense 3-0 in the first leg of the 2023 Concacaf Champions League Round of 16 thanks to a Denis Bouanga hat-trick. LAFC went on to win that series 4-2 on aggregate. This time the margin was tighter — 3-2 on aggregate — but the result was the same: LAFC are through.
LAFC’s dramatic late victory over Alajuelense showcases the team’s resilience and determination to succeed in the prestigious Concacaf Champions Cup, as they look to become the first American club to win the tournament since its rebrand in 2023.
For Alajuelense: A Valiant Exit
For LD Alajuelense, this is a painful but proud elimination. Two-time winners of the tournament, the Costa Rican club last lifted the Champions Cup in 2004. Against one of MLS’s superstar-studded sides, Alajuelense showed courage, tactical intelligence, and gave their passionate supporters a night they will not quickly forget.
Alejandro Bran placed La Liga in the lead in the first leg with a stunner from long range — his first-ever Champions Cup goal. The Alajuelense player became the third youngest to score for the club against a team from the United States. That goal, and van der Putten’s header in the second leg, showed that Central American football still has the quality to trouble MLS’s finest on any given night. The story of this tie, ultimately, was not one of collapse — it was one of heartbreak in the 92nd minute.
What’s Next for LAFC
Now the team can head back to the States with their heads held high and even more momentum to carry them into yet another match in just a few days, as they travel to Texas to take on Austin FC in MLS play.
The quarterfinal draw against Monterrey or Cruz Azul represents LAFC’s biggest test yet in this year’s Champions Cup — a Mexican giant awaiting in a two-legged tie. But after what David Martínez produced in the 92nd minute in Alajuela, the Black & Gold will fear no one.
