CF Montreal wins first MLS game of the season, 4-3 over FC Cincinnati

CF Montreal saluted its return to MLS play after a two-week absence by picking up its first win of the season, 4-3 over FC Cincinnati Saturday afternoon at TQL Stadium.

CF Montreal (1-3-1) snapped a four-game winless streak to start the season and defeated FC Cincinnati (2-4-0) on their home field for the first time in their history.

Joaquin Torres scored the game-winning goal in the 67th minute when he collected a loose ball near the net after an attempted cross from Kei Kamara that goalkeeper Alec Kann partially touched with his right hand while diving.

Kamara played a strong game and scored an important goal just before the end of the first half.

The star of the night for CF Montreal was Djordje Mihailovic, who scored his second and third goals of the season in the first half.

Brandon Vazquez, in the first half, and Luciano Acosta, on a penalty kick in the second half, beat Sebastian Breza. Montreal's Alistair Johnston was also charged with an own goal in the first half.

CF Montreal will have to play one last game away from home before returning to Saputo Stadium on April 16 against the Vancouver Whitecaps.

That other outing on hostile soil will take place next Saturday in Harrison, New Jersey against the New York Red Bulls.

FIREWORKS

CF Montreal and FC Cincinnati started the weekend in the bottom half of the Eastern Association standings, but that didn't stop them from putting on a great offensive display in the first half.

Two players, one from each side, played lead roles. For CF Montreal, it was Mihailovic, who helped his team erase two one-goal deficits after hitting the target in the 17th and 41st minutes.

For Cincinnati, it was Vazquez, who scored the first goal of the game in the 12th minute of play and was the architect of Johnston's own goal in the 20th minute.

Wilfried Nancy's team went into the locker room with a 3-2 lead when Kamara scored his first goal in a Montreal uniform early in stoppage time.

The game was less heated at the start of the second half, but a great burst from defender Alvas Powell on the right wing led to a penalty kick when Rudy Camacho tripped the FC Cincinnati player, perhaps unintentionally, in the 59th minute.

Two minutes later, Acosta successfully took the penalty, lodging the ball to the left of Breza, who had dived to his right.

Less than 10 minutes later, Torres restored Montreal's lead with his first goal of the season.

This time, Montreal would hold on.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 2, 2022.