MONTREAL - In a sixth consecutive sold-out match at Stade Saputo, CF Montréal defeated D.C. United 4-2 on Wednesday evening.
The Montrealers opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a goal from Ariel Lassiter and an assist from Quebecer Jules-Anthony Vilsaint.
Belgium's Christian Benteke, D.C. United's top scorer, equalized for the visitors in the 29th minute, but the hosts responded with two goals in quick succession: a header from Sunusi Ibrahim (34'), followed by a free kick from Mathieu Choinière (38').
Betenke then narrowed the gap for D.C. just before half-time (42').
Finally, following Matti Peltola's second yellow card in first-half stoppage time, Ibrahim completed his brace in the 73rd minute.
CF Montréal will play its next match in Philadelphia this Saturday at 7:30pm (MLS Season Pass, BPM Sports, TSN 690) before the upcoming international break.
COMPLETE SUMMARY HERE
MATCH NOTES
-Jonathan Sirois tallied his 16th career victory with CF Montréal, a new record for a Homegrown goalkeeper.
-CF Montréal equalled its record by scoring three goals in the same half for the 22nd time in its MLS history.
-Ariel Lassiter and Ruan picked up two assists in the match.
-Mathieu Choinière scored his second goal of the season, the 11th of his career. This fourth career winning goal is a new record for a Homegrown player.
-It is the first time Sunusi Ibrahim has collected a brace in MLS play. It is the fourth time in the Club's MLS history that a substitute has done so.
-Mathieu Choinière will be suspended for the next match due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
LAURENT COURTOIS
“I thought the guys tried to connect that extra pass tonight to try and maximize opportunities. There was this desire to create overlaps. So that was good. We knew D.C. was going to try to push us around a bit. They attempted a diagonal pass to Benteke three or four times. We also knew that it wasn't up to us to force the decision, but to catch them at their own game. All in all, we managed well. It's not easy to find the right balance. I thought the guys were having a good time overall. We took advantage of the opposing players and their cautions. Everyone took their game up a notch which meant we were able to materialize a bit more.”
SAMUEL PIETTE
"We have to celebrate victories in moderation, because we can't forget what we've been through over the last month. We know how hard it is to win, and we're playing in three days' time. It's not a victory that erases everything, and the opposite also applies. Never too high, never too low. I tell myself that every day. On the one hand, you have to be happy with the result and the manner. D.C. United is a good team. In the end, we had to get out of this difficult period. The performance matched the result. We had to find a happy medium. We had to be patient and find the right moment. Sunusi's goal is the perfect example. He made a big entrance into the match."
ARIEL LASSITER
“We can’t discard the past, but tonight is a step in the right direction. The coach wants us to enjoy the victory. It is something we have to fight for every match, but we must also be conscious of where we are. The game against Philadelphia won’t be easy. We have to go there with a level head and put in the work. The red card for D.C. helped us, especially as we were leading which hasn’t been the case in the past. We knew D.C. was going to be very physical. We wanted to contain Benteke who is an incredible athlete. But we did a good job of taking advantage of those moments in the game.”
