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Posted by
Mat Rooney,
August 27, 2016 |
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Mat Rooney
On Twitter:
@Canucks_Abroad
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Things fall apart in spectacular fashion sometimes and Toronto's awesome run came to an end in such a way. Playing rival Montreal Impact, who were on a cold spree, Toronto was unable to break them, even with a man advantage. The game was largely dull for the first half and became an angry mess in the second. Both sides looked sluggish, due to scheduling, but the game had a playoff game feel to it, given a dull one at times. And in the end, Montreal was able to take advantage of a Toronto error and walked away with the win.
The Opening 45
Montreal's tactics proved unbreakable but boring. Everyone, including Drogba, seemed focused on keeping Toronto away from the net rather than creating chances of their own. That said there were a few moments where either side could have scored.
The first half was a dull affair until the minutes when Calum Mallace checked Steven Beitashour, causing all near-brawl on the pitch. Mallace was shown a red and Marco Delgrado was shown a yellow as a result.
The Second Half
While they dominated possession and had a number of attempts, thanks to their man advantage, Toronto wasn't able to break Montreal. Some questionable calls likely played a role but Montreal wasn't given any sort of edge by the calls, as they too suffered from them.
Both teams saw their megastars stars leave the pitch with injury early in the half, Drogba at 55, Giovinco at 67, causing a great deal of concern.
In the 73rd minutes, after being given a yellow card for wasting time, Evan Bush sent the ball down the pitch. Much of Toronto was shockingly not back for the ball and Ignacio Piatti was able to put Montreal up 1-0 with some help from former Toronto player Dominic Oduro. Toronto seemed lost from that point on and were unable to comeback.
TFC Man of the Match
Justin Morrow
In a game where almost all of Toronto seemed off, Morrow looked good. While not his best showing, Morrow put up a strong showing that sadly wasn't aided by those around him.
Impact Man of the Match
Ignacio Piatti
Piatti's goal was a thing of beauty as he beat Beitashour before sending the ball sailing passed Alex Bono. The game winner was an amazing reminder of just how good he is.
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