Zlatan Ibrahimovic received a red card for slapping an opposing player in the head but the LA Galaxy were still able to eke out a 1-0 win over the Montreal Impact without their marquee acquisition.
Impact defender Michael Petrasso stepped on the 36-year-old’s foot in the 40th minute of the match in Montreal and the towering Swede retaliated with a slap to the back of Petrasso’s head.
The new LA derby needed a hook … Zlatan Ibrahimovic delivered it
Both players fell to the ground in an apparent effort to win the sympathy of referee Ismail Elfath but after a review of the video, Petrasso was shown a yellow card and the former Juventus, Barcelona and Manchester United striker a red.
Despite the Impact controlling the ball for 56% of the game and taking 15 more shots, Galaxy’s 10 men prevailed when Ola Kamara scored the only goal of the game in the 75th minute.
The win ends a four-game skid for the Galaxy who are now 4-6-1 while the loss is the third straight for the 3-9-0 Impact, who will need to find some goals in the remaining 24 games of the season if they hope to make the playoffs.
Ibrahimovic made a Hollywood entrance during his first game for the Galaxy in March when he scored twice, including the winner, in a thrilling 4-3 victory over local rivals LAFC but has added only one more goal since.
Sweden’s record goalscorer, Ibrahimovic retired from international football after Euro 2016 and, despite flirting with a comeback, will miss this year’s World Cup in Russia.
