CF Montreal has only itself to blame for slipping away from victory and the points that came with it, Wednesday evening at Stade Saputo.
In the absence of several of its best players, CFM led 2-0 after 60 minutes of play. Then, the New York Red Bulls suddenly became more insistent, more aggressive. The Montrealers “failed,” says head coach Laurent Courtois. Result: 2-2 draw in front of a packed – and probably sweaty – crowd.
In fact, this is not a catastrophic result for Montreal, who were dealing with the absences of Ariel Lassiter, Samuel Piette, Mathieu Choinière and Joel Waterman, all of whom went to the Copa América. They also managed to continue their unbeaten streak, which now stands at five.
The problem is that this sequence includes four draws, including three in the metropolis; It’s starting to cause a lot of lost points at home…
“It’s hard, especially when you almost have a match in your pocket. We take it as a defeat,” said Nathan Saliba, who wore the captain’s armband replacing Piette.
“It was a very tough match, very tough conditions. Lots of humidity. We knew it would be a match that would not be easy, we had to cover a lot of space, a lot of passing lines. »
In the first half, the CFM increased the number of missed passes, struggling to create any attack, but they still had the upper hand over the visitors. And unlike last Saturday, the finish was there.
In the 11th minute, Ruan took advantage of a free kick from just outside the penalty area. Gabriele Corbo stuck his head out, followed by Joaquin Sosa; the ball hit an opposing player, before Sunusi Ibrahim finally managed to head it with a final header. A tic-tac-toe of heads from the Bleu-blanc-noir!
It’s a 6th goal this season for the surprising Nigerian, who also superbly saved a sure goal later in the match.
Les Bleus had tried long passes several times early in the game, without success. In the 40th minute, the scenario finally came to fruition. Raheem Edwards, fresh from an injury, played a long pass to Kwadwo Opoku, who was speeding into the box. He skillfully beat John Tolkin before unleashing a perfect strike. Let’s just say that a little expertise in the box doesn’t hurt…
It was in the second half that the match took a completely different turn. Laurent Courtois summed it up well: “Technically, [we had] a little less control. Without the ball, we were in a little more difficulty. There were a lot of negatives in the second half. »
In the 61st minute, New York forward Elias Manoel took a perfect pass into the box. Jonathan Sirois made the first stop, but Wikelman Carmona was there to take the return.
“I really thought that the second half and the scenario would allow us to set the table for a third and fourth goal, I did not expect that we would give the opponent the opportunity so early to believe in his chances,” Courtois said.
The Red Bulls actually believed in their chances, since they were very real. 16-year-old Julian Hall made it 2-2 with a header from a corner kick in the 88th minute.
“I think we need to be more solid at the end of the match,” said Nathan Saliba. It’s a moment when the visiting team pushes to get a result, and that’s when we have to be stronger. »
Matias Coccaro could have given Montreal its third goal and single-handedly changed the outcome of the match.
In the 80th minute, with CF Montreal leading 2-1, the striker broke away. Once he entered the penalty area, while being closely followed by an opponent, he dropped to the ground rather than kicking the ball.
The game was perfect, however, and everything indicated that the Uruguayan was going to score. Officials haven’t called anything on the streak. When asked about this, Courtois was careful in his words.
“I’m not sure there really was contact,” he analyzed. It’s really difficult to be in these kinds of situations. I hate to say this, but there’s a famous coach who says: I try to get my players to come into these kinds of situations, then it’s their job. »
“You have to make a decision in a second, at full speed, and it’s not easy. […] I thought he would take the throw, but it’s easy to say that now. »
With all this, CF Montreal must now turn to its next match, which will take place this Saturday in Colorado. According to Saliba, Wednesday’s result already serves as motivation for the Montreal troops.
“I know it, I feel it, I’ve seen it in the faces of the whole team. »
