VANCOUVER, B.C. -- A spirited second half fight back and some trickery from Kennedy Igboananike wasn't enough to earn the Chicago Fire a point in Vancouver on Wednesday night.
It looked like the Nigerian's 62nd minute strike was going to give Chicago an unlikely draw, but a wondrous last-minute scissor kick from Blas Perez secured all three points for Vancouver. The strike broke Fire hearts and left head coach Veljko Paunović with mixed emotions.
"It's disappointing," Paunović told reporters after the match. "We would even be very happy with a point. I think we could win this game. We had a very good second half and we were close. We were close to getting that win on the road, but we will keep fighting, keep working and keep the faith. That's what we have and in three days we have another game.
"We're doing a great job. The guys are very committed and they're doing great teamwork in order to succeed. We have to just keep fighting and believing."
Paunović reserved praise for his 'keeper Matt Lampson, who came up with a number of big saves to keep Chicago in the game early on, but the work of Igboananike particularly impressed the Fire coach.
The Designated Player netted his fourth goal of the season so far and was a constant thorn in the side of the Whitecaps' defense all night.
"He's very important this season," Paunović said. "He's doing a great job for the team. Not only scoring goals, which is very important especially for a striker, but he's doing a great job as a leader in the locker room and also as somebody who steps up in important moments in games like this one. We're very happy with his performance so far."
The defeat keeps Chicago rooted at the foot of the Eastern Conference standings and although the game was Chicago's first in 11 days, Paunović said they were "not looking for excuses" for the result. Instead he chose to focus on what he's learned from his side's eight games so far and what the Fire need to do to kick-start their season.
"Especially, we have to improve our mentality," Paunovic mused. "We have to be less humble and more convinced that we can be a winning team. But that takes time. Keep on working, pushing hard, believing. Everyone who believes in the end, I'm sure we'll succeed. We need guys who believe."
