2024 – CF Montreal 0 – Toronto FC 1

“Everyone fought,” Laurent Courtois summed up. “But everyone was miserable in the locker room.”

CF Montreal lost 1-0 to Toronto FC in front of a packed Saputo Stadium, eager to see their team beat their eternal rival. And for the second time this season, after a 5-1 defeat in Ontario in May, CFM failed to do so.

The faces of the supporters were long at the final whistle. The reactions on social networks were virulent.

“We are the first to be disappointed,” said Samuel Piette. “The faces in the dressing room are also long. We wanted to recover from the last game against Toronto, we knew how important that game was. For the fans, for the club, but also for ourselves.”

Piette recalls that in May there was a real “lack of will, desire, commitment” on Montreal’s part. Tonight “I think we answered the call,” the captain believes.

Against a TFC team that had lost seven of their last eight games, the tackles were palpable and successful, even during the Bleu-blanc-noir’s empty periods.

And if Courtois did not see a lack of effort from his men, he rather spoke of a “lack of boldness”.

“I think there was too much desire to prepare, and not enough to create enough madness. We were maybe too precise.”

In any case, it was rather the execution that was lacking. Technical waste in the scoop. And offensive breakthroughs were too rare. CF Montreal’s first shot on goal came in the 76th minute^and minute.

“I thought we were a bit static,” Samuel Piette analyzed. “That’s a shame, because in the second half we picked up the pace. We showed will, desire, we were there the whole game.”

Bernardeschi, the villain

It was a huge event, both on a sporting and emotional level. The two teams were neck and neck in the standings with 27 points before this Canadian derby, in the last two playoff spots. And a sold-out Saputo Stadium was up to the occasion.

Mother Nature seemed to realise how big the night was by sending a rainbow over the fence just minutes before the first whistle, after a downpour of almost an hour. The supporters of the IMFC Collective had prepared a giant banner, which they unfurled above their section 132. And the stadium was about to explode from the start.

And it almost happened in the 13th.^and minute, when Josef Martínez had a golden opportunity to open the scoring. One-on-one with goalkeeper Sean Johnson after a nice pass from Joaquín Sosa, the Venezuelan shot wide of the goal. Martínez missed another great chance at the end of the match. The kind of chances a striker of his caliber should seize.

Otherwise, the locals were unable to make their mark on the game in the first half. And Federico Bernardeschi, a good Targaryen-esque villain with his blond hair, enjoyed making himself hated by both the players and the fans of Montreal. It was also the breakthrough of the Italian designated player, on the right, that allowed Richie Laryea to make it 1-0 in the 38th minute^and minute, after a pass from Lorenzo Insigne in the penalty area.

It was one of two real chances the Reds created despite not being among the big boys in MLS.

Courtois’ changes in the second period had a clear effect, particularly the substitution of Nathan Saliba for Joaquin Sosa. Just like last Wednesday in New Jersey, Montreal dominated the end of the game. But this time they didn’t have an equalizer at the end of the game.

“Everyone understood the magnitude (of the derby) confirmed Jonathan Sirois. We talked about it a lot in the last few days. Our fans also came (vendredi) to tell us. (…) It’s a shame because on the one hand you look at the performance and you think you have control. But we leave here with a defeat.”

In that regard, CF Montreal is focusing on the Leagues Cup. Next Friday, it will play Orlando in Florida and the following Tuesday, it will host Atlético de San Luis.

He’ll have to sit out that loss to Toronto in the MLS until August 24th against New England, plenty of time to think about it with the donkey hat in the corner of the room.