(Montreal) CF Montreal let a two-goal lead slip away in the second half and settled for a 2-2 draw against the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday evening at Saputo Stadium.
The Bleu-blanc-noir orchestrated some good sequences in attack and propelled themselves ahead thanks to Sunusi Ibrahim and Kwadwo Opoku, but the New York pressure became unbearable in the second half.
Wikelman Carmona and Julian Hall, the latter in the 88th minute, allowed the Red Bulls (8-4-7) to get a rather unexpected point.
The Red Bulls, who were without some key players such as midfielders Lewis Morgan and Emil Forsberg as well as goalkeeper Carlos Coronel, recorded a second consecutive draw.
In the Montreal camp, it was Opoku’s first start since March 2, in Dallas, while Raheem Edwards returned from injury to get his first start since June 1, in Philadelphia. Josef Martinez played his first minutes since April 13, after being injured in training a few days later.
CF Montreal will now head to Colorado to face the Rapids on Saturday night.
Both teams can blame the heat for the more moderate pace at the start of the first half. However, it was a player accustomed to speeding up the game who led to the Bleu-blanc-noir’s first scoring opportunity.
Ruan’s intensity forced John Tolkin to commit a foul near the penalty area, giving his team a dangerous free kick.
Edwards joined Gabriele Corbo on the left, who redirected the ball with a header towards Joaquin Sosa. The latter saw his deflection stopped on the goal line by midfielder Daniel Edelman, but Ibrahim completed the maneuver to open the scoring in the 11th minute.
The Red Bulls timidly tried to respond three minutes later, but Dante Vanzeir’s lob landed on the top of the net.
Subsequently, for long periods, the attacks were inconclusive on both sides and the execution of CF Montreal was lacking. The visitors had a great chance to tie the game in the 33rd minute, but Jonathan Sirois closed his legs to block a Cameron Harper shot.
This warning shot woke up Laurent Courtois’ men, who doubled their lead before returning to the locker room. Edwards made a long pass to Opoku, who shook off Tolkin before sliding the ball to the left of goalkeeper Ryan Meara.
The Red Bulls were more insistent at the start of the second half and their pressure gave their opponents difficulty. Ibrahim even had to save the furniture on the goal line, following a header from Sean Nealis.
The work of the New Yorkers, however, bore fruit in the 61st minute. At the heart of some good offensive pushes, Carmona took advantage of a moment of hesitation in defense to jump on a loose ball and hit the target in the top corner.
CF Montreal thought they had resisted repeated attacks from the Red Bulls, but the sky fell on their heads before the final whistle. On a corner kick, Nealis and Cory Burke were more combative for the ball and Hall easily found the back of the net between three opposing players.
