- Toronto FC defeated Montreal Impact with 0-1 in Canadian Classique.
- The only scorer in this match was Alejandro Pozuelo, who netted from the penalty kick.
- TFC had lots of problems in the attack with their two starting strikers out, and the third one injured during the game.
- The next match between these two sides in on September 1.
Pozuelo’s Penalty Separates Toronto From Impact
It was the 50th minute when the Spaniard cooly executed the penalty kick lifting his Toronto to a 1-0 lead, and setting what would turn out to be a final score of this match. The penalty was previously awarded to his side due to Emanuel Maciel’s handballing in the box. Montreal Impact’s goalie Clement Diop deflected one cross, but unfortunately, it struck his teammate.
This was the 18th straight MLS match in which TFC didn’t lose. For the head coach Greg Vanney, this is something not so important at the moment.
“We keep trying to get better and we keep trying to focus on the things we need to improve on,” said Vanney. “I didn’t even know 19 was the number. It’s irrelevant.”
FC was a better side, controlling the ball in 60% of the time, and having more goal attempts 6-3, and shots on goal 2-1. They would face many difficulties with the attacking line before the match, as both Jozy Altidore and Ayo Akinola were out of the combination.
But that was not the end of problems for TFC. Patrick Mullins, the replacement of the above-mentioned two, picked up an injury and had to go out after just 19 minutes of play. Nick DeLeon took the pitch afterward.
He even scored the goal in the 36th minute, but that one was canceled because of an offside. VAR system did its thing, and after reviewing the play, the result was still 0-0.
One more goal was canceled, and that happened 12 minutes before the end. Romel Quioto, Impact’s 29-year old forward hit the back of the net, but VAR once again erased the goal. The international from Honduras was in offside.
Montreal Didn’t Want to Play, Toronto Did
Some of the Impact players wanted to boycott the game and were against playing the match with Toronto, supporting the BLM movement. However, their rivals were for playing and refused the possibility of postponing the event.
That was something that disappointed the hosts. Rudy Camacho openly spoke about this situation, calling out the rivals from Toronto.
“We decided as a group that we would not play,” he said. “But the leaders of the cause called us and said they wanted to play. We found that a bit strange. In the end, we didn’t want to play today but we felt nobody had our backs. We’re a little disappointed by a few of our opponents.”
The Saputo Stadium once again saw a small group of fans, 250 of them, who made a lot of noise, but this time, their favorites couldn’t beat the rivals.
They will have a chance for a rematch in just a few days, on September 1 at the BMO Field.
