The Montreal Impact did not miss Didier Drogba on Sunday.
Ignacio Piatti scored two goals, including the winner, and
added an assist as the Impact edged the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-2 at B.C. Place
Stadium. Piatti provided the offence as Cameroonian superstar Drogba stayed
home because he did not want to play on the artificial turf at B.C. Place
Stadium.
“I think that (Piatti) had an excellent match,” said
Montreal coach Mauro Biello, speaking in French. “He was extraordinary on the
ball. What decisions! … Two excellent goals.”
The Impact held 2-0 and 3-1 leads from which the Whitecaps –
who controlled play for long stretches, particularly in the second half – could
not recover. Piatti scored his goals in the 19th and 88th minutes while taking
advantage of defensive breakdowns.
On the first, after a giveaway by rookie Whitecaps defender
Fraser Aird, he was allowed to run across the Vancouver box with the ball and
slot home a shot in the lower right corner. The second goal came on a
counter-attack as Piatti took a pass from Dominic Oduro on a two-on-one, drew
Vancouver goalkeeper David Ousted to the near post and then slid a shot inside
the far post.
“At different moments, he made it look easy,” said Biello in
English. “And, to be able score two goals like that on the road was great.”
Oduro scored the other Impact goal on a miscommunication by
Ousted and central defender Kendall Waston. Ousted slid past a loose ball as
Oduro was running on to a lead pass from Piatti, leaving an open net to shoot
at freely.
“We have a lot of guys that score goals this year, and
(Piatti) showed that tonight,” said Impact goalkeeper Evan Busch.
In other words, Montreal can rely on more players than
Drogba, who scored 11 goals and helped the Impact make a late run to the
playoffs after he signed midway through the 2015 season.
“Obviously, (Drogba), we can’t take away what he brought to
the team last year,” said Biello, continuing in English. “He’s a superstar, but
I stress the importance of everybody on this team and the roles that they play
and the responsibilities that they have. Each one of them is important. And,
when they get their opportunity to perform, it’s about moments – and it’s about
being good in those moments.
“From our ’keeper all the way to our best player, we have to
have a mindset that’s shared and ready to fight. With the quality of players
that we have, we feel that we have a balanced attack – and when (Drogba) comes
back, it’s going to help us more.”
Jordan Harvey, on a Pedro Morales free kick in the 45th
minute, and Waston on a header off a Christian Bolanos corner-kick moments before the final whistle, scored for
the Whitecaps.
“I’d rather win than score,” said a dejected Waston.
In addition to demonstrating Montreal’s offensive diversity,
the game hinted that Canada’s MLS squad could excel this season. The Impact
appears to be a solid team, the Whitecaps are viewed as a championship
contender, and Toronto FC should be considerably better after missing the
playoffs last season.
Stay tuned for some strong results from the Canadian squads –
with or without Drogba in Montreal’s lineup.
No comments:
Post a Comment