Nacho Piatti scores a brace, defenders Kyle Fisher and Ambroise Oyongo with a goal each
MONTREAL – The Montreal Impact delighted its supporters, on Saturday afternoon at Stade Saputo, with a 4-1 win over the Portland Timbers. Nacho Piatti struck twice, while Kyle Fisher and Ambroise Oyongo also put their names on the score sheet. Diego Valeri replied for the visitors.
“The message after the game was that we cannot go too high or too low. We have to be balanced,” said Impact head coach Mauro Biello. “It’s important to understand how we have to work, how we have to be focused in everything we do. When we play well, these moments, these sensations are special. If we can all pull in the right direction, things will fall into place.”
The Montreal midfielders’ experience and technical quality was on show in the opening ten minutes, as Marco Donadel and Patrice Bernier, who started a 100th MLS game with the Impact, combined to dictate the rhythm of this start to the game.
A new top goal scorer in MLS for the Impact
In the 12th minute, Blerim Dzemaili took advantage of this domination to find space of the left flank. Entering the box, he swiveled to protect the ball and was fouled by Sebastián Blanco; head referee Jair Murrafo had no choice but to give a penalty to the Impact, which Nacho Piatti coolly dispatched to the left, sending goalkeeper Jake Gleeson the wrong way. The Argentine thus passed Marco Di Vaio at the top of the Impact goal scoring chart in MLS, with 35 goals.
“We stayed closed, created gaps, combined with each other and it made it difficult for the other team,” said Impact captain Patrice Bernier. “The engine of the team is the midfield. Today, we played well.”
At the 18th minute, the Portland Timbers saw one of their players leave the pitch early. Diego Chará hit Piatti in the head and was sent off.
Thanks to this numerical advantage, the Impact installed its play and kept possession. The visitors still had some chances to knock on Evan Bush’s door, mostly through set pieces, but it’s the locals who capitalized through Kyle Fisher’s header, in the 43rd minute, who jumped over Alvas Powell to score his first career MLS goal on a Dzemaili corner.
“We showed resiliency,” said Fisher. “Preventive coverage was a lot better, it helped secure the win today.”
Portland still answered with a header of their own before the end of the half. Diego Valeri found a little bit of space behind the defence and took advantage of a diagonal ball by Powell to lob Evan Bush with a skilful header.
After the break, the Impact was quick to add to its lead. As early as in the 50th minute, the captain Bernier passed the ball to Dzemaili, who flicked it towards Anthony Jackson-Hamel. The striker also flicked the ball with his first touch for a free Piatti. The number 10 attacked the Portland backline, who was retreating, and scored his second of the game with a right-footed strike from outside the box.
Montreal continued to threaten for the rest of the second half, while the Oregonians’ only opportunities came on set pieces. Ballou Tabla, notably, gave a lot of problems to Portland’s left-back, Vytas Adriuskevicius. By beating him in a duel in the 77th minute, the young winger had an opportunity to send a low cross in front of goal for Ambroise Oyongo, who took a low show and beat Gleeson to secure the points.
Hassoun Camara passes the 10,000 minute threshold in MLS
Entering the game in the 84th minute, defender Hassoun Camara became the first Impact player to pass the 10,000-minute mark in MLS. For their part, Homegrown Players Anthony Jackson-Hamel and Ballou Tabla registered their first career assists in MLS.
Following games
The Impact will start a home-and-away series on the West coast, in British Columbia, for the Canadian Championship semifinals against Vancouver Whitecaps FC, on Tuesday, May 23, at 10pm EDT (RDS, 98,5fm, TSN Radio 690), before coming back to Montreal for the second leg at Stade Saputo, on Tuesday, May 30, at 7:30pm EDT (RDS, 98,5fm, TSN Radio 690). Excellent tickets for this game, as well as season tickets, are still available on impactmontreal.com.
LINEUPS
MTL – GK-Evan Bush; D-Chris Duvall (Hassoun Camara 84’), Laurent Ciman, Kyle Fisher, Ambroise Oyongo; M-Ballou Tabla, Marco Donadel (Hernan Bernardello 72’), Patrice Bernier, Blerim Dzemaili, Nacho Piatti (Daniel Lovitz 78’); F-Anthony Jackson-Hamel
Subs not used – GK-Maxime Crépeau; M-Adrian Arregui, David Choinière; F-Dominic Oduro
POR – GK-Jake Gleeson; D-Vytas Andriuskevicius, Liam Ridgewell, Roy Miller, Alvas Powell (Zarek Valentin 53’); M-Darlington Nagbe (Lawrence Olum 78’), Diego Valeri (Darren Mattocks 81’), Sebastian Blanco, David Guzmán, Diego Chara; F-Fanendo Adi
Subs not used – GK-Kendall McIntosh; D-Amobi Okugo; M-Dairon Asprilla, Jack Barmby
GOALS
MTL – Piatti (PK) 13’
MTL – Fisher (Dzemaili) 43’
POR – Valeri (Powell) 45’+1’
MTL – Piatti (Jackson-Hamel) 50’
MTL – Oyongo (Tabla) 77’
CAUTIONS
MTL – Ciman 22’
POR – Guzmán 27’
MTL – Donadel 51’
MTL – Tabla 66’
POR – Miller 71’
EJECTION
POR – Chara 18’
