TORONTO – The Montreal Impact got its wish at BMO Field, holding Toronto FC to a 1-1 draw that sees the Reds eliminated from playoff contention. Goals scored by Warren Creavalle and Felipe Martins kept the game level, but it was the three red cards doled out by Baldomero Toledo that defined this derby day at BMO Field.
INTERVIEWS: Greg Vanney | Steven Caldwell | Jonathan Osorio | Joe Bendik
The match started off perhaps as expected, with a yellow card being handed out in the first five minutes to Hassoun Camara for a foul on Gilberto. The two teams exchanged shoulder challenges, slide tackles and physical play and created a few half chances but 15 minutes after the initial yellow card, Toronto FC found the back of the net courtesy of Warren Creavalle.
HIGHLIGHTS: Degree #DoMoreMoment: Creavalle's Nice Finish | Great Saves By Bendik
Jackson picked up the ball from the right wing and gave a wonderful back heel flick to Luke Moore, who controlled it with his chest, turned, and fired toward goal. Matteo Ferrari threw himself onto the challenge and the ball fell to Creavalle, open out wide on the left. The former Houston Dynamo midfielder volleyed in a low, curling shot past the outstretched hands of Evan Bush, opening the scoring for Toronto FC.
Toronto nearly doubled its lead courtesy of a Moore header from a Mark Bloom cross but Ferrari came up big once more, clearing the ball at the last second.
With five minutes to go in the first half, the Montreal Impact found an equalizer; a long pass sent in was controlled well by Andres Romero, who took on Bloom on Montreal’s left wing. Romero pushed forward before cutting in a short pass to an onrushing Felipe, who unleashed a rocket of a shot into the top corner to beat Joe Bendik and give Montreal a goal of its own.
At 1-1, the two teams went into the locker rooms all square at half time. But in the second half, Montreal began finding more and more dangerous opportunities, courtesy of the foot of Jack McInerney. In the 54th minute, Felipe sent in a chip through pass to McInerney, who beat Bendik with the shot but hit the crossbar.
Dwayne De Rosario, Kyle Bekker and Dominic Oduro came into the match for Toronto, as did Issey Nakajima-Farran, Marco Di Vaio and Maxim Tissot for Montreal in an effort to find a winner.
Oduro immediately made his speed felt in the match, forcing Heath Pearce into making a late tackle, which drew the red card from Baldomero Toledo. With 10 minutes remaining, Toronto FC now had the man advantage. But the clock dwindled away and still Montreal pressed, not allowing Toronto a proper sight at goal.
With seconds to go in the match frustration boiled over. Jonathan Osorio was shown a straight red card for a foul on Felipe followed by a Bendik yellow. Within a minute Camara picked up a red card after receiving his second yellow card, and the match finally came to an end with the final score of 1-1. Toronto FC next heads to New England for its final match of the season, and the Montreal Impact head to Red Bull Arena to take on New York.
