The Montreal Impact needed less than 120 seconds to grab the lead vs. Orlando City SC on Wednesday, as Didier Drogba's viciously-knuckling free kick hoodwinked Joe Bendik in the second minute.
But it was all downhill from there for the home side.
Orlando responded with an opportunistic goal of their own just two minutes later via Brek Shea. Then the Lions proceeded to dismember their hosts in a wild 4-1 victory that featured a Kaká brace, a red-card-and-penalty-kick combo that sent Impact goalkeeper Evan Bush to an early shower, a saved PK by Bendik on Drogba and a smashing late exclamation-point strike by OCSC's Carlos Rivas.
To add to the chaos at a rain-soaked Stade Saputo, Orlando were whistled for an intentional back pass that set up a Montreal free kick some six yards out from Bendik's net (the Impact went close but couldn't score on the play), Kevin Alston nearly scored a spectacular own goal from close range that clanged off the inside of the post, flew across the face of goal and away...and Kaká unveiled a quirky new "gone fishin'" goal celebration.
When the smoke finally cleared, Orlando City found themselves vaulting over D.C. United into the Eastern Conference's final playoff slot and the fading Impact had lost their third game in five.
Box Score
- 2' – MTL – Didier Drogba
- 4' – ORL – Brek Shea (Carlos Rivas, Matías Pérez García)
- 36' – ORL – Kaká (Carlos Rivas, Matías Pérez García)
- 54' – ORL – Kaká (PK)
- 77' – ORL – Carlos Rivas (Julio Baptista)
- Full Box Score
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Three Things
1. QUIRKY IN QUEBEC: "Weird," "lit," insane" – plenty of adjectives were applied to this game by those watching in person and on TV. This midweek treat had it all, from controversy to quality to straight-up silliness. Did referee Silviu Petrescu make the right call on the Bush red card? Why did Montreal handle their early lead so poorly? And how long has Rivas been carrying around that baby pacifier in his shorts?
2. BENDIK BOUNCES BACK: Suffering a howler on a Drogba free kick almost immediately after the opening whistle is no way to get your night started. But Orlando's goalkeeper showed admirable mental resilience to shake off his early miscue and make four saves, even taking revenge with a nimble denial of Drogba's overly cheeky PK attempt. When Orlando open up and attack, they depend on Bendik to bail them out from time to time, and on this occasion he came through, big-time.
3. MERCURIAL MONTREAL: If the sight of fans flocking to the exits well before the final whistle doesn't make the Impact nervous, their wobbly form of late should. They're now just three points ahead of sixth-placed Orlando and have the worst home record of the East's top tier at 6-4-4. Perhaps most importantly, coach Mauro Biello detects a dangerous sense of complacency among his talented but maddeningly inconsistent squad:
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