Impact forward Dwight Barnett, who came into the game in the 79th minute, scored the game-winning goal in the 83rd minute. Pressed by Charles Gbeke, Miami FC goalkeeper Josh Saunders came out and headed the ball weakly from the top of the box. Barnett recuperated the loose ball and lobed a defender in front of an empty net to score his first goal ever with the Impact.
The Impact had tied the score in the 48th minute when Leonardo Di Lorenzo crossed the ball from the left flank to Roberto Brown, who headed it down into the net, beating goalkeeper Josh Saunders to his left.
“It’s good to get our first win,” said Montreal Impact head coach Nick De Santis. “We did well by dictating the pace of the game, especially in the midfield. We scored two goals because of a good team mentality. In the second half, our team preparation paid off. We believed in ourselves and we were able to clinch our first win on the road.”
The lone goal for Miami was scored by forward Alex Afonso in the 16th minute when he redirected with a header a long centering pass coming from the right wing from midfielder Sean Cameron.
“The character of this team was remarkable tonight,” said Impact defender Nevio Pizzolitto. “Our performance just got better as the game went on. We were adjusting to their style. We were intially slow but their goal woke us up. We’re very happy with the win.”
Impact midfielder Joey Gjertsen had the Impact’s best scoring opportunity in the 42nd minute when his high shot from the top of the box hit the post to the right of Saunders. Then, on a rush in the 72nd minute, Gjertsen got a clear shot on the right flank from 20 yards out but the ball just sailed wide of the right post.
Miami FC nearly took the lead again in the 51st minute but Impact defender Nevio Pizzolitto cleared the ball on the goal line. On the same rush, goalkeeper Matt Jordan made a save tipping the ball just over the net.
Then in the 76th minute, Miami FC midfielder Leandro Mineiro Souza took a shot from 25 yards out that beat Matt Jordan to his left but hit the post.
Simon Gatti, who played as left defender in the last game in Vancouver, was not part of the line-up due to a light hip injury. Veteran defender Gabriel Gervais started the game on the left flank, while Italian defender Stefano Pesoli started his first game with Montreal, in the central defender position. Brazilian forward Severino Jefferson also started his first game with the Impact.
Defender Alex Surprenant, 18, who played last year with the Trois-Rivières Attak, was on the line-up for the first time of his young career, but did not play.
The Impact now has a lifetime record of 3-0-3 against Miami, which is playing its third season in the league. For the first time in six games, the Impact allowed a goal against its Florida rivals.
The Impact will stay in Florida to resume training until April 24, and will then fly off to Atlanta for its game against the Silverbacks, April 25. The Impact will return to Montreal, Saturday, April 26.
GAME SUMMARY:
http://discovernet.ftpaccess.cc/usl/fe/frmMatchTracker.aspx?game=4&langu...
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Source : Patrick Vallée, Montreal Impact
Info : 514-328-3668 (ext. 227)
