“We can say mission accomplished today," said Impact head coach Marc Dos Santos. "We showed a lot of character and had a very good possession of the ball. We played better than in the 5-0 win in Edmonton. We could have scored more than two goals, but the important for us right now are the three points. We’ve already started our preparation for our matchup against Atlanta.”
Senegalese forward Mignane Diouf gave the lead to Montreal at the 34th minute after accepting a pass from behind the defence from midfielder Antonio Ribeiro. Diouf then beat goalkeeper Rein Baart with a high shot to the first post inside the six-meter box, recording his first career goal with the Impact.
“I saw the ball coming towards me, and that the top of the net was available and I took advantage of it," said Diouf. "I shot directly. It’s a good start for me at forward and I’m sure with more time, a good offensive complicity will develop to help us create even more scoring opportunities.”
Defender Philippe Billy doubled the lead at the 83rd minute. Following a free kick from 20 meters taken by midfielder Leonardo Di Lorenzo that passed the wall, Billy scored in the top of the net while he was alone against goalkeeper Lance Parker. It was also Billy’s first regular season goal with the Impact.
"We are a team with a lot of character and it’s starting to show positively," added Billy. "Hard work pays and that’s what helped us complete our game today. We must continue to play hard. This win gives us a lot of confidence and helps us start fresh with a solid foundation.”
“We showed up with the right attitude today," said Ribeiro. "We played well with the ball and we were able to control the play to keep possession of the ball. We created several scoring opportunities, took a lot of good shots from the center of the field and were successful on those opportunities. We are happy with the result.”
The free kick was given after starting goalkeeper Baart was ejected for touching the ball with his hand outside the 18-meter box, while trying to stop a breakaway from Pierre-Rudolph Mayard. It was the second red card for Baart against Montreal this season. FC Edmonton played the last 10 minutes of the game short of a player.
Goalkeeper Bill Gaudette earned his league-leading fourth shutout of the season, and recorded his 40th career win and 30th career shutout in North American second division.
The Impact had several scoring opportunities throughout the game. Montreal led 16-6 in shots on goal.
At the 9th minute, Diouf accepted a long pass behind the defence, and then took a shot from the six-yard box that was stopped by the FC Edmonton goalkeeper. A few seconds later, Baart stopped a point blank shot from forward Reda Agourram.
In the second half, at the 61st minute, Diouf took another point blank shot that was stopped by Baart. A few seconds later, midfielder Anthony Le Gall then crossed the ball for Agourram who deflected it over the net with his head.
The Impact got two more chances at the end of the game. At the 86th minute, Le Gall hit the post after beating Parker, coming down on a breakaway with Mayard, who entered the game at the 73rd minute. Then, in the last minute of the game, Mayard took a shot that went to the left of the net.
Edmonton came close to cut the Impact lead at the 75th when a low shot from 20 meters out from midfielder Chris Kooy went a few inches to the right of Montreal’s net.
Defender Richard Pelletier left the game at the 28th minute due to a thigh injury. He missed three games due to a similar injury earlier this season. Zurab Tsiskaridze replaced him on the field.
Midfielder Leonardo Di Lorenzo returned to the lineup Saturday after serving a one-game suspension following a red card received on May 21 in Tampa Bay.
Defender Nevio Pizzolitto was still out of the lineup with a hip injury, midfielder Luke Kreamalmeyer missed the game due to fractured foot, while Ali Gerba has joined the Canadian National Team on Wednesday for the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The Impact will play its next game on the road, facing the Atlanta Silverbacks (atlantasilverbacks.com) on June 8 at 2:30pm.
Montreal will play its next home game at Saputo Stadium against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers on June 18, at 2:30pm (Radio-Canada, CKAC Sports, THE TEAM 990, radio-canada.ca/sports). Tickets for this game are still available through Admission Network (admission.com / 514-790-1245) or at the ticketing office of the Saputo Stadium.
THREE NEXT GAMES
• Wednesday, June 8 – IMPACT @ Atlanta Silverbacks – Atlanta Silverbacks Park – 7:30pm
• Sunday, June 12 – IMPACT @ Puerto Rico Islanders – Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium – 6:05pm
• Saturday, June 18 – Fort Lauderdale Strikers @ IMPACT – Saputo Stadium – 2:30pm
GAME SUMMARY
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