CF Montreal, playing with 10 men after the 65-minute mark, put on an impressive second half defensive display to secure a 2-0 win against New York Red Bulls on Saturday night at Stade Saputo.

Along with an own goal from Andrés Reyes, Mathieu Choinière scored in the 94th minute giving Montreal (2-6-0) their second win and first clean sheet of the Major League Soccer season.

New York (1-3-5) took control of the match early after applying pressure in the midfield. It turned into the first chance of the game just six minutes in as Wikelman Carmona was played through, forcing Jonathan Sirois to come off his line and make an early save.

That seemed to be Montreal’s wakeup call as they began moving the ball wide and creating space on the flanks. It paid dividends almost immediately as low crosses caused havoc in the Red Bull penalty area.

In the 25th minute, a perfect ball from Aaron Herrera being deflected by defender Reyes, giving Montreal the lead.

Montreal almost doubled their lead in the 37th minute through Victor Wanyama who got his foot on the end of a corner, only to be denied by Carlos Coronel who saved the shot inches away from the goal line.

As the second half began, Montreal continued their control over the pace of play. That changed just after the hour mark, New York was given a way back into the game when a controversial officiating decision saw Ilias Iliadis receive his second yellow card for delay of game.

This reinvigorated the Red Bulls who sent even more players forward in search of an equalizer. This normally would’ve spelt inevitable doom for MLS's worst defence, but Montreal set up a low block and successfully repelled every oncoming.

With just one minute left, Montreal put the game out of reach as Choinière started a counter attack from his own penalty area and scored off a rebound.

Both teams are back in action on April 29 as Montreal goes on the road to Sporting Kansas City while New York heads to Soldier Field to face the Chicago Fire.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 22, 2023.