MONTREAL – In front of a sold-out crowd, CF Montréal registered its sixth consecutive win (all competitions) on Saturday night at Stade Saputo with a 2-0 clean sheet victory over Toronto FC.
Mirroring Tuesday’s encounter at BMO Field (2-1 in the Canadian Championship), where no goal was scored in the first 45 minutes, Finnish striker Lassi Lappalainen (53') finally broke the deadlock. Defender George Campbell, who got his first MLS start with the team, collected an assist on the move.
Chinonso Offor (68') then doubled the Montreal lead on a deflected Zachary Brault-Guillard cross, as Toronto played short-handed following Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty's 56th minute dismissal.
CF Montréal will now head out for a two-game road trip. The team will first play FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium this Wednesday at 7:30pm (Apple MLS Season Pass, RDS, TSN, BPM Sports, TSN 690), before facing the New York Red Bulls in Harrison next Saturday at 7:30pm (Apple MLS Season Pass, RDS, TSN, BPM Sports, TSN 690).
COMPLETE SUMMARY HERE
MATCH NOTES
-CF Montréal set a new club record by recording a fourth straight clean sheet in MLS.
-It was also a new individual record for Jonathan Sirois.
-Montreal’s streak without conceding a goal is now at 404 minutes, 16 minutes shy of the Club record (2018).
-Mathieu Choinière became the first Homegrown player to reach the 5,000-minute mark in MLS.
-Romell Quioto played his 75th MLS game with CF Montréal.
HERNÁN LOSADA
“We deserved to win the game tonight. The versatility of our players is also important. Derbies are not easy games and it is a pity we couldn't score more goals. We managed to neutralize their high caliber players. There is never a lack of motivation when playing Toronto at home. With the schedule next week, it will be very tough. I want a fighting spirit from my players. The collective is the most important thing.”
GEORGE CAMPBELL
“When you see the open space on the field, instinct takes over. Attacking spaces has been my style of play since I was a professional. Both teams brought intensity tonight. We had a good run of games and showed that we are the better team right now. We knew what to expect from each other. It made the game more competitive. At the end of the day, we stuck together and didn't give up any easy scoring chances. That gives us the confidence to win. Staying compact on defense also gives us confidence going forward.”
LASSI LAPPALAINEN
“The most important thing was the win tonight. I think I can play both forward and fullback. I have no problem playing either position. The message at halftime was to keep pushing. Toronto was going to tire and we were rewarded for our efforts. There are a lot of emotions in a rivalry.”
