CF Montréal couldn't wait to show everyone what they're made of, as new coach Wilfried Nancy's squad confounded many preseason predictions to begin the 2021 season in style by recording a convincing 4-2 win over their Canadian Classique rivals Toronto FC.
It only took three minutes for CF Montréal to darken the scoresheet. And it was Mason Toye, who provided the answer to an undoubted future trivia question by scoring the club's first goal under their new name and identity.
In a counter attack situation, Zachary Brault-Guillard ran up the middle of the pitch and sent a through ball for Toye along the left side. The New Jersey native, continuing his fine form from preseason, had loads of space to take a shot that beat Alex Bono towards the far post to break the ice early.
Romell Quioto took it upon himself to get his club the second goal of the game. The Honduran international chased after an overhead through pass on the right flank and man-handled Luke Singh before beating Bono with a powerful shot to give Montréal a 2-0 lead.
TFC cut the deficit to one goal with a penalty just before halftime. Joel Waterman was caught taking down Auro inside the box and gave Toronto a golden opportunity to head to the locker rooms with a 2-1 score line.
Clement Diop stopped Auro's attempt from the spot but referee Ismail Elfath reviewed the play with VAR and found that the Senegalese goalkeeper was off his line. Toronto swapped penalty takers for Mark Delgado and the 25 year-old did not miss on the second attempt.
Victor Wanyama settled things down with a third Montréal goal at the 54th minute. In a corner kick situation, the former Tottenham Hotspur towered over Micheal Bradley at the far post and his headed effort hit the back of the net.
Djordje Mihailovic gave his team a fourth goal in their season debut, a franchise record. Erik Hurtado fed Mihailovic from the right flank and the Florida native soared passed Omar Gonzalez to open his CF Montréal account.
Richie Laryea managed to grab a goal back for TFC at the 88th minute. The Canadian international pierced through the Montreal defence and beat Diop to bring Toronto's deficit back to two goals. But it was too little too late for the Reds as Montréal took the first Canadian Classique of 2021.
Goals
Three Things
THE BIG PiCTURE: CF Montréal dispersed the uncertainty over their season with a bang. Star players stood up and proved the doubters wrong with a solid debut game over their Canadian Classique rivals. Toronto will need to take a deep breath after a very busy week filled with ups and downs. The Reds will want to remember their Concacaf Champions League upset of Club Leon and quickly forget the rivalry loss.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Victor Wanyama calmed his teammates down by scoring a powerful header early in the second half to bring the score to 3-1. The Kenyan towered over Michael Bradley to put his team up by two goals for the second time of the game.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Mason Toye had a tough start to his Montréal tenure following his move from Minnesota last year but proved the doubters wrong at the start of the 2021 season. The New Jersey native scored his first goal of the year and was impactful throughout his time on the DRV PNK Stadium pitch.
Next Up
- MTL: Saturday, April 24 at Nashville SC | 2pm ET (NashvilleSC.com, TVA Sports)
- TOR: Saturday, April 24 vs Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 3pm ET (MLS Live on ESPN+, CTV, TSN1)
