MONTREAL - In its final home game of the regular season, CF Montréal defeated the Portland Timbers 4-1 on Saturday evening at Stade Saputo.
Sunusi Ibrahim opened the scoring for the Montrealers in the 28th minute, completing Mahala Opoku's cross. The Nigerian striker then returned the favour by providing Opoku with an assist to double the hosts' lead in the 35th minute.
Mathieu Choinière, recently selected for Canada's national team, added a third (64') with a powerful shot from outside the box, before Mason Toye scored the fourth of the evening in the 76th minute.
However, the Timbers avoided a shutout following Franck Boli's late goal (86').
With its 12th win of the year and one game remaining on the calendar, CF Montréal is back in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with 41 points, keeping its playoff hopes alive.
CF Montréal will conclude its regular season on Saturday, October 21 in Columbus, on the occasion of the MLS Decision Day. Kick-off is scheduled for 6:00 pm (MLS Season Pass, BPM Sports, CJAD 800).
MATCH NOTES:
-Ariel Lassiter played his 50th career MLS start.
-Mahala Opoku scored his fourth goal of the season with CF Montréal. It was his sixth MLS goal of the year.
-Mathieu Choinière scored his fifth goal of the season. He is currently the team's top scorer. It was his 9th career MLS goal.
-Choinière picked up his fifth assist of the season, a new Club record for a Homegrown player.
HERNÁN LOSADA
"It's huge to score four goals. It's not too late. We've got a fight on our hands in Columbus. I'm happy for the group, for the team and for everyone behind the team. Tonight our hard work paid off. The defence worked well too. Jonathan made some key saves. All the players wanted to show that we're better than the performances of the last six or seven games."
MAHALA OPOKU
"I'm proud of this victory and the way we fought to get the three points. We pulled together to get this result. I'm particularly proud of the forwards. To score four goals is incredible. I felt like I was playing when I was a kid, enjoying the game. The body also needs to rest to come back stronger. So it will be good to rest during the break. We'll rest up and come back for the last game of the season."
MATHIEU CHOINIÈRE
"Every game, I give 100 percent. It turns out that tonight I was rewarded. It was a team performance. We recognized the importance of the match. The energy was passed on from player to player. It's an important victory that allows us to continue believing in our chances of qualifying for the playoffs. We know we've been strong at home this season. We need to keep up the momentum in Columbus. We want to pick up points there."
