MONTREAL – A hot crowd, increased cohesiveness and two goals.
That’s all fine and dandy, but what about not conceding?
The Montreal Impact didn’t waste time against Costa Rican side Alajuelense on Wednesday night, scoring twice in the opening quarter-hour. The Olympic Stadium rocked as the crowd saw their team stun the visitors, who looked vulnerable enough that a third goal seemed probable.
It wasn’t to be, and there was a hint of disappointment for the Impact players after their deserved 2-0 first leg win in the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals. But travelling to Alajuela with a clean sheet in the bag is a job well done.
“In the second half, the message was to keep playing, but everything we did was calculated,” assistant coach Mauro Biello, who stepped in for the suspended Frank Klopas, told reporters following the game. “We didn’t want to get caught on a counter and concede a goal. It was important to manage the game well. We even created many opportunities to score the third. Alas, we couldn’t. But the idea was to manage the game well.”
Biello admitted that, due to fatigue, the team suffered as the game went on – this was their fourth game in all competitions this season. And yet, Alajuelense managed to place only one shot on target against the organized Montreal defense.
With rookie Cameron Porter providing a useful outlet up top when under pressure, Montreal managed to move up the field, putting together sequences of attacking play that quarterfinal opponents Pachuca weren’t subjected to.
“[Ignacio] Piatti had an excellent game,” Biello said. “He was more lucid on the ball. He created chances and scored an excellent goal. [Dominic] Oduro looked for deep positions and gave them a lot of problems. Dilly [Duka] cut inside. We mixed it up well. … We don’t want to be a predictable team.”
Montreal may need that in Costa Rica, as they know this tie is far from over. Alajuelense, though helped by some inexplicable defensive mistakes by D.C. United, still put five past them in their quarterfinal home leg. An away goal could go a long way to secure a ticket to the CCL final.
“No, no [we’re not scared],” left midfielder Maxim Tissot said. “We did it in Mexico, and we can do it in Costa Rica. We’re ready, and it’ll be a similar challenge. We know what to expect. We’ll be ready.”
