Bouanga nets late winner as LAFC beat Atlanta for fifth straight win

Denis Bouanga scored in the 86th minute Sunday to give Los Angeles FC a 1-0 victory over Atlanta United at BMO Stadium, handing LAFC its fifth straight win and extending the forward's scoring run to six consecutive matches. The late strike completed a game that had been tightly contested for much of the evening and underscored LAFC's momentum as the regular season heads into its final weeks.

Bouanga's goal followed a long cross into the box that deflected off Atlanta defender Enea Mihaj and fell to the French forward, who hammered the ball home. The strike was Bouanga's 99th career MLS goal and came in his 100th league appearance, fittingly while wearing his No. 99 jersey. The victory left LAFC fourth in the Western Conference with 53 points and two games in hand on first-place San Diego and third-place Minnesota.

The matchup was largely a defensive evening for Atlanta, which frequently deployed a five-man back line and finished with just three shots on goal. Atlanta produced a rare chance in the 70th minute when Bartosz Slisz hit the post. LAFC had several opportunities earlier, including a 57th-minute chance that was cleared by goalkeeper Jayden Hibbert off a Mark Delgado shot...