VAUGHAN, Ontario – After seeing its MLS counterpart win with passion on Saturday at BMO Field, FC Montreal completed a beautiful double against Toronto teams with a 4-3 win over Toronto FC II on Sunday afternoon at the Ontario Soccer Centre.
Captain Louis Béland-Goyette scored the first Montreal goal and was followed by Anthony Jackson-Hamel, Alessandro Riggi and Heikel Jarras. Martin Davis tallied for Toronto and Ricardo John added a brace.
“Games between club rivals are bigger,” said head coach Philippe Eullaffroy. “There’s more emotion in the points we take. Winning in Toronto just after seeing the first team doing the same thing last night increases the joy. It’s a double reward for the players that gave everything they had tonight.”
Toronto didn’t waste any time to put numbers on the scoreboard. In the fifth minute, after a cross to the far post from Molham Babouli, Anthony Osorio passed in front of the net for Martin Davis who opened the scoring.
FC Montreal’s reply was immediate. After a bad clearance following a cross in the box from Aron Mkungilwa, Louis Béland-Goyette took a half-volleyed shot to the top of the net to beat MLS goalkeeper Clint Irwin in the sixth minute.
TFC II took the lead again in the 10th minute. On a free kick taken by Babouli, Skylar Thomas headed the ball to the centre of the box for Ricardo John, who won his duel in the air to score with his head.
Montreal then scored two quick goals to take the lead just before halftime.
In the 43rd minute, after a cross from Janouk Charbonneau was poorly defended, Jackson-Hamel took the ball in the box and scored with a low strike.
In added time, Philippe Lincourt-Joseph got the ball from Mkungilwa in front of the box. Instead of taking a shot, he passed to Riggi on the left who beat the defender to his left before taking a left-footed shot that beat Irwin.
Toronto tied the game in the 63rd minute. David Paulmin saved a shot from Wesley Charpie, but John sprinted to take the rebound and scored with his head again.
Late on, on a counterattack, Dominguez dribbled forward with the ball to the opposing box before passing to Jarras, who took a precise shot into the right corner to score the winning goal seconds after coming on as a sub, in the 86th minute.
“One of the things that has brought us success in the last four games is that, every time a guy comes in, he brings what we expect from a substitute and makes the difference,” added Eullaffroy. “Again, today, Heikel enters and makes the difference, Yacine Ait Slimane did good, Pierre Lamothe was the instigator of the fourth goal, Marco Dominguez, even if he didn’t spend a lot of time on the field, brought something, and let’s not forget Zachary Sukunda who was really helpful on the technical aspect on the left flank. They all brought something to the game with their style and characteristics, and we expect that from substitutes.”
“It feels good and it’s a game where we see the determination. We lose the lead but keep working hard until the end,” said Louis Béland-Goyette. “It’s multiplied by ten because it’s Toronto. We were really efficient in the last third, and the defenders gave everything to protect our box as well.”
After a brawl in the end of the game, Marco Dominguez and Mitchell Taintor got ejected with red cards.
FC Montreal will play its next game on Wednesday, August 31, at 7pm against the Wilmington Hammerheads FC at the Claude-Robillard Sports Complex.
LINEUPS
FC Montreal: David Paulmin; Amadou Dia, Kyle Fisher, Nevello Yoseke, Janouk Charbonneau; Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé* (Zachary Sukunda 89’), Louis Béland-Goyette, Alessandro Riggi (Marco Dominguez 78’), Philippe Lincourt-Joseph (Pierre Lamothe 82’), Aron Mkungilwa (Yacine Ait Slimane 72’); Anthony Jackson-Hamel* (Heikel Jarras 85’)
Subs not used: Luca Leone, Brandon Onkony
*MLS players
Toronto FC II: Clint Irwin (Nathan Ingham 65’); Wesley Charpie, Mitchell Taintor, Skylar Thomas (Clément Simonin 24’, Marco Maletic 55’), Anthony Osorio; Christopher Mannella, Brian James, Molham Babouli; Raheem Edwards, Ricardo John (Phillip Reshon 74’), Martin Davis (Bubacarr Jobe 58’)
Subs not used: Adam Bouchard, Malik Johnson
GOALS
TOR: Martin Davis 5’
MTL: Louis Béland-Goyette 6’
TOR: Ricardo John 10’
MTL: Anthony Jackson-Hamel 43’
MTL: Alessandro Riggi 45+
TOR: Ricardo John 63’
MTL: Heikel Jarras 86’
CAUTIONS
TOR: Clément Simonin 38’
TOR: Brian James 39’
TOR: Nathan Ingham 94’
TOR: Christopher Mannella 95’
EJECTIONS
TOR: Mitchel Taintor 94’
MTL: Marco Dominguez 94’
