Montreal Impact managed to come back against Vancouver Whitecaps and win with 2-1 to keep their playoff dreams alive. The hosts were on the verge of defeat at one moment, but the goalkeeper Bush saved them.
The Impact started the game slowly, and the guests used that, hitting first. Yordy Reyna brought the edge to the Whitecaps after just 17 minutes of play. He followed the counter-attack well and executed from a nearby without any troubles.
Just four minutes later, Reyna had a chance to double that advantage. Impact’s Piette made a reckless challenge inside the box, and the referee pointed towards the penalty spot. Evan Bush stopped his attempt, but Tossaint Ricketts scored on a rebound.
This goal was a subject of a VAR review, and after checking it carefully, the referee canceled it because of an offside. Reyna had another chance from the spot, but Bush once again saved his shot. It was a magical moment for Montreal’s goalie.
The momentum on the filed of Saputo Stadium changed in the late part of the first event. Maxi Urruti’s attempt to make a cross from the right side ended perfectly for the hosts, as the ball struck in Doneil Henry and entered the goal of the visitors.
Only two minutes later, we saw another goal, and again, it was Urruti in the middle of attention. He made a volley following Bacary Sagna’s cross, igniting the crowd at the stands and boosting the morale of his teammates.
“That’s the beauty of the game,” said Wilmer Cabrera. said. “The game can change in one second, good or bad. In our case we could go 2-0, but nobody knows what could happen in this situation. But what I know is the mentality and the attitude of the players today.”
This was the result of the first halftime, despite several more chances on both sides. The ball just wouldn’t go in, and the teams headed for a break.
The second 45 minutes passed without any goals, despite 10 shots on respective targets. The goalkeepers were in the middle of attention, and the fans had to leave Saputo Stadium without seeing at least one more hit. Impact’s goalkeeper Bush was speaking about that following the contest, saying that he felt scared for a moment because his colleagues from upfront missed several excellent opportunities to net.
“I also think that in the second half, when we weren’t getting that third goal with the chances that we had, it crept in a little that ‘Ah man, not again. Hopefully, we don’t lose points,’” Bush said.
Montreal is seventh in the Eastern Conference standings with 37 points but has two more games than their biggest rivals, Toronto FC. The playoff hopes are alive, but as time gets by, they are getting lower and lower. They would need to win most of the upcoming matches, then wait for other results and see what happens. As for the Whitecaps, they are hammered to the bottom of the West with 27 points, same as Colorado Rapids, but with two more games played.
