CF Montreal appeared headed for a bitter third straight defeat, but Lassi Lappalainen played hero and snatched a 1-1 draw against Houston Dynamo at the Stade Saputo on Wednesday night.
Montreal remains in position to participate in the Eastern Association of Major League Soccer playoffs, although this point allows it to overtake New York City FC and temporarily finish in eighth place.
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It was one to midnight for Bleu-Blanc-Noir when Lappalainen scored the goal in stoppage time in the 96th minute. Mathieu Choinière took a corner kick that landed on the Finn’s foot. After a few maneuvers, he managed to land a shot that surprised goalkeeper Steve Clark.
The followers, who almost no longer believed in it, exploded with joy. Up until then, the favorites had defended well, but their chances to score had come to nothing.
Striker Romell Quioto was excited for the first time since returning to the game. His punches and those of his teammates didn’t faze the veteran Clark.
A costly mistake
Houston, one of the top five teams in the West this season, tried fewer things but took advantage of the open door when it presented itself.
At the start of the game, Fernando Alvarez made a mistake that led directly to Artur’s goal. The young defender fell after losing the ball and was no longer able to find cover in the goalkeeper’s area. Ibrahim Aliyu found Sebastian Kowalczyk in front of the net, who was able to serve Artur perfectly. Left completely alone, the Brazilian fired an unstoppable shot into the top area.
Head coach Hernan Losada had put together an all-Quebec midfielder in Zachary Brault-Guillard, Mathieu Choinière, Nathan Saliba and Samuel Piette. The latter almost put his team in trouble when he made a dangerous tackle in the 35th minute that could have seen him sent off for a second yellow card.
There are two games left in the CF Montreal season. The Portland Timbers will be guests on Saturday, and the last duel will take place on October 21st against the Columbus Crew.