A gala match which gives rise to quite a sporting spectacle. CF Montreal may have lost 3-2 to Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami on Saturday evening, but the event lived up to expectations at the Saputo stadium.
Fireworks. Fiery atmosphere. Miami jerseys everywhere, but not the expected pink wave. Except perhaps at the end of the match, when Montreal was trailing on the scoreboard, and Messi’s name was chanted with heat and power by several sections of the Montreal enclosure.
“I understand the people who shout for Messi,” commented a visibly disappointed Laurent Courtois after the meeting. But me, as a head coach, while my team is losing, to hear my stadium chanting the opponent’s name, it’s hard. »
“It’s a little discouraging,” added Jules-Anthony Vilsaint, author of a goal and an assist for Montreal.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Lionel Messi
“It’s certain that when we’re losing 3-2, it’s the end of the match, and it screams Messi, we were disappointed because we’re trying to come back,” said the Quebecer. […] But I can understand. He’s their idol too, the best player of all time. So it’s 50-50. »
“I am very disappointed for the fans,” added Courtois. But not for the spectators who came to sing Messi. »
A strong start to the match for the locals
Obviously we were waiting for the show Messi: he was up for this meeting, just like his ex-FC Barcelona friends Luis Suárez and Sergio Busquets.
On the other hand, the Argentine was cleared from the scoresheet for the very first time in the 2024 campaign.
And at the start of the match, it was Laurent Courtois’ CFM who put on a show. We even saw the best copy of the Bleu-blanc-noir this season during the first 40 minutes.
I’m really happy with how we came up with quality. It allowed us to establish ourselves, and limit turnovers in front of the two best players of the last decade in their respective positions.
Laurent Courtois
Messi touched the ball in the second minute, and the crowd’s clamor was heard from then on. But the Argentine didn’t make much of an impact for the next 43 minutes.
Quickly, we understood that Bryce Duke was in one of his best days. At the 22e minute, the number 10 of the CFM, a former Inter Miami player moreover, launched into a breakaway. To his left, Jules-Anthony Vilsaint, in control of the ball. Racing down the lane at full speed, the striker sent a perfect cross to his American teammate, who placed the leather perfectly between the legs of Drake Callender. CF Montreal thus took the lead, somewhat to everyone’s surprise.
PHOTO ERIC BOLTE, USA TODAY SPORTS
Bryce Duke scored the first goal of the game.
Miami, beyond its stars, still sits at the top of the MLS, and came to Montreal with six games without defeat, and four consecutive victories.
Montreal’s breakthroughs continued. On the other side, Messi stood quietly at the forefront. He walked and looked around the area. Always ready to take action when the moment is right. But he seemed to us, at least in this portion of the match, a little out of his X, with a few missed passes which amused the stands at Saputo stadium.
Montreal then decided to impress the gallery in its own way. A beautiful collective action between Vilsaint, Ariel Lassiter and Fernando Álvarez allowed the Quebecer to double his team’s lead in the 33rde minute.
PHOTO ERIC BOLTE, USA TODAY SPORTS
Jules-Anthony Vilsaint celebrates his goal scored in the first half.
“I worked hard for these moments,” said the man of the match for Montreal. To come back from injury, to work on my body, and to have more and more minutes, mentally, it does me good. »
We got closer to halftime. George Campbell made contact with Messi in the middle. The latter remained on the ground, received treatment, then had to temporarily leave the field due to new MLS rules to speed up the game.
Ironically, Messi watched the play from the sidelines when teammate Matias Rojas scored a goal that is sure to feature in the MLS games of the week. His free kick, from distance, beat Jonathan Sirois, and reduced the score to 2-1 in the 43rde minute.
The tide turns before returning to the locker room. Were you told that Messi was ineffective? Perhaps this is what makes its magic. Suddenly sensing the opportunity, he combined with Suarez. The play ended in a corner in stoppage time. Then, the ball made its way into the box, hit Duke’s head, and traveled to the gunner’s well-placed foot Uruguayan. Just like that, it was 2-2.
“It’s heartbreaking not to be able to finish the half as it should,” Courtois lamented.
And the coach added: “It’s hard, because that’s how the match changes. »
The Messi moment… which never comes
Montreal pushed at the start of the second. But Miami confirmed its momentum. At the 59e, Matias Rojas served a magnificent lob, from midfield, towards Benjamin Cremaschi. Ariel Lassiter followed the play well, and even thought he did the defensive work. But the ball ended up slowly crossing the goal line. Despite Montreal’s very respectable performance, the visitors took a 3-2 lead.
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
Lionel Messi was calm at the start of the match
The Bleu-blanc-noir is at home, and Messi or not, a result is still within his reach. He showed great offensive will in the second period. The entry into play of Dominic Iankov, at 63e, helped with this. Despite everything, it feels like the home side’s hopes, with the two superstars up front on the other side, could be dashed in a fraction of a second.
And precisely, at the 84e minute, Montreal comes very close to having its Lionel Andres Messi moment. His shot, in the area, goes to the right of the frame. That’s when the crowd chanted his name.
Another chance came three minutes later. A well-placed free kick, just outside the area, which could have allowed the Pulga to score one of its curling strikes for which it is famous.
The shot goes just over the frame.
Yet another chance, at 91e. The man on whom all eyes are on comes, alone in the box, defended by three Montrealers. Jonathan Sirois makes the save, another one of great importance at the end of the match.
Asked about having cleared Messi, Vilsaint was not overflowing with enthusiasm.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Jonathan Sirois makes the save in front of Lionel Messi
“Unfortunately, we lost, and that’s what matters most. It’s hard, but I find that there were moments where we lost concentration, and it hurt at the end. »
Montreal searched, then searched again. But didn’t find the breach. It was hot at the Saputo stadium at the time!
But he missed a few degrees.
Vilsaint still drew positives from his May 11th.
“It was one of the craziest evenings I experienced at Saputo stadium,” he said, despite the defeat. To share the field with these guys is unforgettable. I’m super grateful, and I couldn’t ask for more, honestly. »
RISING
Jules-Anthony Vilsaint
A goal, an assist for the Quebecer. On the biggest stage of his young career, in front of all the league spotlights, under the eyes of the legend. There was his cross for Bryce Duke, he had his own success a few minutes later. But there were also his calls and his fervor on the left wing. In the absence of Josef Martínez and Matías Cóccaro, the goals have to come from somewhere. Vilsaint helps his trainer make decisions these days.
FALLING
Mason Toye
Toye played 73 minutes, and unfortunately for him, it almost didn’t show. We even wondered why it wasn’t him who gave way to Iankov when Vilsaint left the field.