- In the big Canadian derby, Toronto FC defeated Montreal Impact with 4-3.
- Ayo Akinola scored a hat-trick putting on a stellar performance, highlighting his name as an early MVP candidate.
- Montreal posted its second loss of the tournament, while Toronto has a win and a draw.
Akinola’s Magnificent Performance
The fantastic youngster keeps on amazing the fans from week to week. He scored twice in Toronto’s draw against DC United, and now added three more hits to his tally, emerging as a hero of the big Canadian derby.
Akinola’s hat-trick was what made the difference on the pitch, and the 20-year old presented an enigma for the entire Impact’s lineup.
“I feel pretty good to get a hat trick. But I know it’s not over,” said Akinola. “We still have one more (group) game left. So this game is in the past. I’m already thinking about the next one.”
His head coach Greg Vanney was convinced that the American international has enough talent to become a superstar. Even though he didn’t put some spectacular numbers in the recent past, Vanney’s confidence in Akinola was rock-solid. And eventually, that paid off for both him and the team.
“He has soft feet, he can hold things up, but he’s so powerful and fast … He’s gotten himself fit, he worked incredibly hard in the pre-season. He just looks like he loves playing soccer.”
However, we need to point out that four out of five goals he scored during the tournament were after Alejandro Pozuelo‘s assists. The former Betis, Swansey, Rayo, and Genk playmaker seem to create a connection with his teammate from attack and is harassing the rivals’ defenses for now.
Fantastic First Half With Five Goals Involved
We saw five goals in the first 37 minutes of the event, two of them coming within sixty seconds. The opener was after just 8 minutes when Richi Laryea netted for Toronto.
Montreal responded through Romell Quioto, in the 14th minute, when he executed following one nice pass from his teammate Emanuel Maciel.
Just nine minutes later Akinola put his name on the scoresheet for the first time. Pozuelo found the American near the goal, who placed the ball behind Montreal’s goalkeeper Diop.
Then came the 37th minute, and a penalty for Impact. Saphir Taider scored from the same. But the joy of him and his teammates didn’t last for too long, as Akinola managed to put himself behind Impact’s sloppy backline, bringing back the difference immediately after the kick-off.
It was a shocker for Thierry Henry’s players.
Nothing particularly interesting happened on the field of ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex until seven minutes before the end of the regular time. Akinola completed his hat-trick with a fast counter-attack. With five goals in two games he is the earliest candidate for the MVP award.
The final result was set in the fourth minute of the stoppage time, once Taider converted another penalty.
Up next Toronto platys against New England Revolution, while Montreal meets DC United. Both games will take place on Tuesday.
