CF Montréal notched their first win since May thanks to a first MLS goal from homegrown Mathieu Choinière to give his hometown team a 1-0 win over Inter Miami CF on Saturday at Red Bull Arena.
Choinière got the game's only goal in the 42nd minute when the first player to go through every steps of the Montréal academy accepted a pass from Djordje Mihailovic along the right side of the box before whipping a low shot past John McCarthy and into the far side of the net.
Montréal put the pressure on early in the game which forced Miami to do everything in order to keep the scoreless draw with only 11 minutes on the clock.
Fresh from his Euro 2020 experience, Lassi Lappalainen sent a ball in the space for Mason Toye who found Mihailovic for a clear chance on goal but McCarthy thwarted the effort. Christian Makoun then needed to block two shots off the goalline from Romell Quioto and Mihailovic respectively to end Montréal's attack.
After falling behind to Choinière's effort and with only two shots to their name in the first half, Miami head coach Phil Neville called on star striker Gonzalo Higuaín in the hope to turn things around in the second 45 minutes. The Argentine tried to take advantage of a free kick opportunity at the 62nd minute but his shot was blocked by Montréal's wall.
With 20 minutes to go, Neville tapped in another of his big names, Rodolfo Pizarro, in an effort to force an equalizer. But Miami's attacking substitutions failed to pay dividends as the Herons struggled to apply any pressure until the dying minutes of the game.
Frederico Higuaín, who has scored seven career goals against Montréal, stepped onto the pitch with a handful of minutes to go but could not rescue his side on this occasion as Montréal defended their lead and got back into the win column.
Goals
- 42 — MTL — Mathieu Choinière | WATCH
Three things
THE BIG PICTURE: Playing after a disappointing draw in Nashville, CF Montréal were determined to turn things around. Despite failing to convert on a flurry of chances, Wilfried Nancy's side secured all three points for the first time since May 29 to stay right in the playoffs hunt. Inter Miami, meanwhile, struggled to pressure their opposition throughout the match and go down to a fifth successive loss.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Mathieu Choinière scored his first goal in a CF Montréal shirt. From his right flank, the homegrown player beat John McCarthy with a shot towards the far post and gave his hometown club all three points.
MAN OF THE MATCH: After a tough 2020 where he underwent foot surgery, Mathieu Choinière notched the game-winning goal he deserved. The native of Saint-Alexandre, Québec, a town just south of Montréal, opened his MLS account confirming his team’s first win since the European break.
Next up
- MTL: Wednesday, July 7 vs New York City FC | 7pm ET | MLS Live on ESPN+, TVA Sports
- MIA: Saturday, July 17 at New York Red Bulls | 7pm ET | MLS Live on ESPN+
