MONTREAL - In sweltering heat at Stade Saputo, CF Montréal drew 2-2 against the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday evening, remaining unbeaten in a fifth consecutive match and in their eighth sold-out game of the season.
Sunusi Ibrahim, the team's top scorer this season, broke the ice for the Montrealers in the 11th minute. With his 13th career goal, Ibrahim is now the Club's tenth-highest scorer in MLS, alongside Mason Toye and Djordje Mihailovic.
In his first start since returning from injury, Ghanaian Mahala Opoku then doubled the Bleu-blanc-noir's lead 10 minutes later.
Wikelman Carmona narrowed the gap for the Red Bulls, who currently sit third in the Eastern Conference standings, in the second half (61'), then Julian Hall tied the game late(88').
CF Montréal will play a third match in eight days this Saturday in Denver at Dick's Sporting Goods Park against the Colorado Rapids at 9:30pm EDT (MLS Season Pass, BPM Sports, TSN 690).
COMPLETE SUMMARY HERE
MATCH NOTES
-Jonathan Sirois played his 50th MLS match, becoming the Club's third goalkeeper to reach this milestone.
-Ibrahim scored his sixth goal of the season. It was his fourth goal in as many games.
-Raheem Edwards collected his 25th career MLS assist.
-Defender Joaquín Sosa will be suspended for the next match due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
LAURENT COURTOIS
"It's a scenario that happens too often. At home, it has to be in our control. I didn't expect us to give our opponents such an early chance to get back into the game. It's disappointing to concede that last goal and the way we did it. Technically, we struggled without the ball. A win is never a given. In terms of our game plan and resources, I thought we'd be safe with a third goal. We're mature enough not to concede like that. If we don't have all these self-critical standards within us and the requirement of a top-level athlete to be more ambitious, it's a shame. If we had that kind of attitude all the time, we'd be in a different place in the standings."
MAHALA OPOKU
“It feels really good to be back and do what I love. I’m happy to be back. Certain things you can’t train for. Things happen in games. We love to be dangerous in the box and take advantage of every chance we get. I’m just coming back. My cardio isn’t at the highest level yet. It was tough to play in the heat. We have to work on how we defend to protect our lead. We have room to improve. When I was injured, the medical staff took good care of me. Any time I arrived at training, I would joke that I wanted to go home. So when I scored, I just pointed at them referencing that.”
NATHAN SALIBA
"It was a great feeling of pride to wear the captain's armband tonight. I was surprised by the news, but very happy that the coach trusted me. It's difficult when you concede like that. You take it as a defeat. I think it's something that will motivate the whole group. I saw it in the guys' eyes. It'll motivate us for Saturday. In the first half, we respected the game and took the lead. In the second half, we started well, but we got too comfortable and lost balls in several places. We need to be more solid defensively. This is a time when the opposition has to push and we have to be stronger. We need to find ways to score that third goal and put ourselves in a better position."
