An energy fuelled performance hands the Impact three points
Hard to explain what happened at Stade Saputo last night, when the Portland Timbers were in town. Nigerian midfielder Orji Okwonkwo simply pulled a rabbit out of his hat, defying the laws of physics and biomechanics to give his team a 2-1 lead, which also happened to be his second goal of the game. These two individual moments of brilliance gave Montreal three deserved points, earned by the collective, which retained 60% of possession.
The Impact demonstrated its superiority all over the pitch against a young Timbers side playing a third game in eight days. A five-man defense, composed of experienced players, contributed to the successful performance of a young midfield unit consisting of Ken Krolicki and Shamit Shome, while Saphir Taïder made an impact technically, and Maxi Urruti came inches from scoring one of his own. Rémi Garde’s men earned themselves a boost in confidence before their trip to Georgia, where they’ll take on Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, this Saturday at 6pm (TVA Sports, 98.5, TSN 690). Before that, here are yesterday night’s advanced stats.
Saphir Taïder: 1 assist, 3 shots, 1 shot on target, 54 successful passes, including 25 in the final third, for an 83% success rate, 3 chances created, 1 cross completed, 5 dribbles completed, 9 duels won, 1 interception, 89 touches.
Ken Krolicki: 1 shot, 44 successful passes, including 10 in the final third, for an 85% success rate, 1 dribble completed, 5 duels won, 4 aerial duels won, 61 touches
Shamit Shome: 40 successful passes, including 10 in the final third, for a 95% success rate, 2 dribbles completed, 4 duels won, 1 aerial duel won, 49 touches.
Rudy Camacho: 86 successful passes, including 10 in the final third, for a 96% success rate, 7 duels won, 2 tackles won, 2 interceptions, 5 clearances, 3 aerial duels won, 104 touches.
Orji Okwonkwo: 2 goals, 3 shots, 2 shots on target, 17 successful passes, including 7 in the final third, for an 85% success rate, 1 chance created, 4 dribbles completed, 5 duels won, 1 aerial duel won, 35 touches.
