MONTREAL – CF Montréal played to a 2-2 draw against LAFC on Saturday night at Stade Saputo. CF Montréal opened the scoring in the 6th minute with a goal from forward Giacomo Vrioni. The Albanian striker found the net for a third consecutive match at Stade Saputo.
The referee awarded a penalty to CF Montréal following a foul by forward Denis Bouanga. Prince Owusu stepped up to the spot and converted to give the Bleu-blanc-noir a 2-0 lead in the 22nd minute.
Midfielder Mark Delgado cut the deficit for LAFC in the 38th minute, and forward Olivier Giroud equalized for the visitors in the 77th minute.
CF Montréal will be back in action on Wednesday at Chase Stadium against Inter Miami CF at 7:30 p.m. ET (MLS Season Pass, BPM Sports, TSN 690). The Bleu-blanc-noir will return to Stade Saputo to wrap up an eight-game stretch in May against the New England Revolution next Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET (MLS Season Pass, RDS, TSN, BPM Sports, TSN 690).
🎙️ POSTGAME COMMENTS:
MARCO DONADEL
"I hope we can continue to show in the future what we displayed during the first 40 minutes of the match, and then the first 10 minutes of the second half. It’s really a matter of energy because of all the games we have to play in such a short time. We faced an excellent team that can showcase all its qualities if you let them play. George Campbell and Jalen Neal did an incredible job against one of the best teams in the league right now. We showed, especially in the first half, that we respect everyone, but we’re not afraid of anyone. It’s an amazing feeling to be able to compete against any team. The match was very balanced, but we had to adapt at the end due to a lack of energy on the field to keep doing what we did in the first half. I want to highlight the effort and attitude of everyone, including the substitutes who came into the match."
JALEN NEAL
"We were expecting a big challenge tonight, and I think we rose to it really well. We came into this match fired up, and LAFC wasn’t expecting that. We showed what we’re capable of. I think games like this one, like the one against Columbus last week, and the one in New York, really show the quality of our team. Overall, we put in a great performance today, and we can build on that."
JONATHAN SIROIS
"We were very aware that a two-goal lead against a team of this caliber and level can disappear quickly. We stayed mature and tried to manage their chances, especially in the second half. They didn’t have many opportunities, and defensively I think it was a complete match for us, despite their excellent attack. We returned to our identity, which is to be very aggressive and not let the other team play the way they want, especially in the first half."