CF Montreal played with fervor but managed not to get burned as they narrowly defeated Mexican club Pumas UNAM 4-2 on penalties in their first League Cup group stage game in front of a full Stade Saputo on Saturday night in that historic game.
Two goals down, the visitors hit the accelerator twice towards the end of the game. Those two goals were scored by Gabriel Matías Fernández and Emanuel Montejano, who equalized the game in added time.
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The team from Montreal just beat the fourth-best team in the LIGA MX, Mexico’s best league.
“We made a good impression, especially in the first half. I think we played very good football and the atmosphere was exceptional today. The fans were really emotionally involved in this game. “Our performance together was very positive and we are very confident about the future,” said CF Montreal head coach Hernan Losada after the game.
Hernan Losada’s men set their rhythm from the start of the game, multiplying scoring chances.
They got their reward when Bryce Duke scored the opening goal in the 22nd minute. Duke accepted Ariel Lassiter’s pass and fired a precise shot into the net that gave Puma’s UNAM goalkeeper Gil Alcala no chance.
The Impact then doubled their lead before retiring to the dressing room. CF Montreal’s only representative in the final Major League Soccer (MLS) All-Star game, Mathieu Choinière, scored a precise shot from a free-kick in the 43rd minute of the game.
The animosity was palpable as the evening wore on and players from both teams exchanged a few pleasantries. Incidentally, a battle broke out between members of both sides after Lassi Lape Lassi Lappalainen scored the winning goal on penalties. A total of five yellow cards were awarded in the game, including three against CF Montreal.
The Bleu-Blanc-Noir had to do without their captain Samuel Piette, who was out due to a virus.
The Quebec Metropolitan team will face DC United again at the Stade Saputo on Wednesday. This will be CF Montreal’s second and final game of the group stage.