Zlatan Ibrahimovic was on fire against Orlando City on Sunday evening.
By Ivan Yeo
Zlatan Ibrahimovic to the rescue again for the LA Galaxy.
Ibrahimovic showed once again why the Galaxy spent the better part of two years and some serious cash to bring him over to MLS to the LA Galaxy, and that is to score goals and help the Galax win games. Ibrahimovic did both those things on Sunday evening against Orlando City, as his hat trick got the Galaxy past Orlando 4-3 at the StubHub Center.
“It was a good day. For the team. For me. I scored three goals, had one assist. We won the game,” Ibrahimovic said. “If we wouldn’t have won the game, it doesn’t matter how many goals or assists you do, to win is something different.”
Ibrahimovic’s three goals were all needed for the Galaxy, as they were chasing the match for most of the night.
“I tell the team if we keep doing this, just now after the game, that I’ll be 90 by the time the season’s over,” Galaxy head coach Sigi Schmid said. “It’s great for the fans. It’s great for Television and all of that stuff, but it’s really hard on me emotionally.”
Ibrahimovic got goal number one two minutes into the second half, as Giovani Dos Santos sent a left-footed cross into the penalty area and Ibrahimovic headed the ball just outside the six-yard box past Earl Edwards near post to knot the match 2-2. The joy however last just three minutes for the Galaxy, as Orlando’s Mohamed El-Munir crossed into the penalty area and Dom Dwyer headed a ball past David Bingham far post to get Orlando back in front.
Ibrahimovic went back to work starting in the 67th minute. Dos Santos punted a ball high in the air, Ibrahimovic headed a ball forward, Ola Kamara chased it down, sprinted into the penalty area, Ibrahimovic followed the play, Kamara played a short cross and Ibrahimovic dived and headed the ball past Edwards into the back net for another equalizer. Ibrahimovic finally edged the Galaxy ahead in the 72nd minute, as Servando Carrasco played a cross into the six, the ball was actually headed down by Orlando’s Amro Tarek, but turned out all he did was tee up a shot for Ibrahimovic, as he chested the ball down and fired a point blank shot past Edwards far post.
“Every game I try to make the difference. I try to do what I’m good at,” Ibrahimovic said. “I try to help my teammates in the best way. I was tired in the last 10-15 minutes otherwise I would have had five goals.”
The match wasn’t entirely about Ibrahimovic. Orlando got things rolling in the 17th minute, Sacha Kljestan led an Orlando break on goal, played a ball to Cristian Higuita, who played it back to Kljestan, Higuita sprinted into the penalty area and Kljestan played a perfectly weighted ball into the six-yard box that Higuita one-timed past David Bingham near post. The Galaxy finally equalized in the 39th minute, Dave Romney sent a long ball into the penalty area, Ibrahimovic headed a ball to Giovani Dos Santos, who took a couple of touches before firing a shot that just beat Edwards far post. Orlando regained the lead a minute before stoppage time, as Orlando was on a counterattack, Kljestan crossed and the ball went off Galaxy center back Michael Ciani’s back foot and across the goal line for an LA Galaxy own-goal.
“We go into the game confident. We don’t want to concede goals and we want to win games, we get the players to score goals…but then we concede sloppy, silly goals,” Ashley Cole said. “It’s difficult. It’s hard to swallow. I stand here in a bad mood, but at the end of the day we won the game and we’re climbing the standings.”
The Galaxy will have another chance to climb up the Western Conference standings, as they travel to Colorado to face the Rapids. The Galaxy will do so however without Ibrahimovic, as he will miss this week’s All-Star game and per MLS rules, will miss the Aug. 4 match against Colorado.
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