LA Galaxy top Portland Timbers 2-1

On the one-year anniversary of El Trafico Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a brace yet again, drawing a pair of penalties and finishing the second in impeccable style to lift the LA Galaxy over the Portland Timbers Sunday night at Dignity Health Sports Park.

LA Galaxy

After missing three weeks of training Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romain Alessandrini returned to the starting lineup. The big Swede came this close to beautifully redirecting a Rolf Feltscher cross with an acrobatic flick but the ball agonizingly slammed off the post. However Ibra would draw a penalty after he was barreled into by Claude Dielna, slotting his attempt past Jeff Antinella to put LA ahead.

The Galaxy were dominant in the early going, but as the half wore on Portland grew into the match and it wasn’t terribly surprising when a few seconds of interplay between the Timbers midfield led to a Jeremy Ebobesie tap-in.

Portland continued to threaten LA’s back line to begin the second 45 but LA would eventually recover, and in the 65th minute Zlatan completed his brace in typical Zlatan style, chipping the keeper with a panenka to give the Galaxy a lead they would not relinquish.