- Ignacio Piatti - 5' Pen, 90'+2'
- Amro Tarek - 55' OG
Ignacio Piatti brace lifts Montreal Impact past slumping Orlando City
Ignacio Piatti scored on a penalty kick in the fifth minute and again in injury time, and Orlando City SC defender Amro Tarek put in an own goal to give the Impact a 3-0 victory in Montreal on a rainy Wednesday, extending the visitors' losing streak in league play to six games.
Orlando City's skid has come directly after a six-game winning streak, which accounted for all six of the team's wins this season.
Montreal got off to a fast start with an aggressive attack that resulted in a couple of early shots before Piatti put home the penalty kick in the fifth minute, after Cristian Higuita took down Saphir Taider in the box.
Montreal dominated possession in the first part of the game, finding plenty of space to work the ball, while Orlando City gave the ball away time and again.
It was a solid 25 minutes before Orlando City began to round into form, making crisper, more precise passes and putting some pressure on Impact goalkeeper Evan Bush. Forward Dom Dwyer had a header in the box saved in the 31st minute and sent a free kick over the bar in the 44th minute.
Orlando City's frustration was evident from three yellow cards by the 49th minute, and they were outshot by Montreal in the first half 6-3.
The second half saw Orlando bring its back line forward slightly, but to little avail. Montreal continued to have better possession and more dangerous attacks.
That pressure paid off in the 55th minute, as Piatti's cross into the box deflected off Tarek and past Orlando goalkeeper Joe Bendik into the back of the net for a 2-0 lead.
Surrendering a second goal seemed to wake Orlando City up a bit as they started generating more chances. Dwyer's header went high in the 65th minute, and Josue Colman had a golden chance a minute later, coming in alone on Bush, but the shot was pushed wide.
With about 20 minutes left in the game and a two-goal lead, Montreal took a more conservative stance, its defenders staying further back and flooding the box when Orlando City did mount an attack.
Bush helped out with a couple of nifty saves, and bad luck played a role as well, with Stefano Pinho's deflection off a rebound sailing over the bar with Bush well out of position in the 82nd minute.
In the 92nd minute, with Orlando City looking exhausted from chasing the game, Piatti scored again, deking Bendik in the box and putting the ball in the net for the final margin.
Game Information
MLS Standings
Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Inter Miami CF | 34 | 22 | 8 | 4 | +30 | 74 |
Columbus Crew | 34 | 19 | 9 | 6 | +32 | 66 |
FC Cincinnati | 34 | 18 | 5 | 11 | +10 | 59 |
Orlando City SC | 34 | 15 | 7 | 12 | +9 | 52 |
Charlotte FC | 34 | 14 | 9 | 11 | +9 | 51 |
New York City FC | 34 | 14 | 8 | 12 | +5 | 50 |
New York Red Bulls | 34 | 11 | 14 | 9 | +5 | 47 |
CF Montréal | 34 | 11 | 10 | 13 | -16 | 43 |
Atlanta United FC | 34 | 10 | 10 | 14 | -3 | 40 |
D.C. United | 34 | 10 | 10 | 14 | -18 | 40 |
Toronto FC | 34 | 11 | 4 | 19 | -21 | 37 |
Philadelphia Union | 34 | 9 | 10 | 15 | +7 | 37 |
Nashville SC | 34 | 9 | 9 | 16 | -16 | 36 |
New England Revolution | 34 | 9 | 4 | 21 | -37 | 31 |
Chicago Fire FC | 34 | 7 | 9 | 18 | -22 | 30 |