SENS, France – The Montreal Impact played quarterfinal and semifinal matchups for positions 9 to 16 at the Tournoi Sans Frontières, this Sunday.
The Impact U13 first took on Pôle Espoirs Bourgogne in the quarters.
The Bourgogne team put plenty of pressure on the Bleu-blanc-noir in the first half. Just before halftime, Denis Razvan Colici made a clearance off the line to keep both teams level.
Back from the break, the Impact drew a penalty kick that Tomas Giraldo converted. But the opponent came from behind minutes later, making it 1-1.
After full time, the Impact U13 won the penalty shootout, as every one of their attempts found the back of the net. Goalkeeper Hamadi-Jed Hmida, for his part, made a crucial stop on Bourgogne’s third shot.
The Bleu-blanc-noir then faced Olympique de Marseille in the semis.
After a well-contested first half, Marseille scored 16 minutes into the second half after a free kick from the right was played into the box and redirected into the net.
But the Impact believed until the very end, and Abdul Binate drew a penalty kick in the dying seconds as the opposition goalkeeper brought him down. Tomas Giraldo scored with a low shot to the right, sending the two teams to a penalty shootout.
This time, however, the Impact did not prevail in the shootout.
Head coach Serge Dinkota’s players can hold their heads high, as they will take on Toulouse FC in the 11th-place playoff – the tournament welcomed 24 teams – this Monday morning at 9am Central European Summer Time / 3am Eastern Daylight Time.
