A win, a shutout. CF Montreal could hardly have asked for better for its match against Atlanta United, a direct rival in the playoff picture, Saturday night at Saputo Stadium.
A solid defensive performance and a brilliant Ruan allowed the CFM to win 1-0 at the end of a hot Montreal evening, with a goal from the Brazilian in the 51st minute.e minute.
Despite everything, head coach Laurent Courtois heavily criticized his men for their management of the end of the match.
It’s only 11 against 10 from the 54e minute, the Bleu-blanc-noir came under intense pressure from the visitors, when they should have been the aggressors in such a situation of numerical superiority.
“It hurts tonight,” said Courtois, his face long despite collecting three points. “I’m really disappointed.” […] That Atlanta pushes to 10, it’s understandable, it happens often. But that we give Atlanta the opportunity to hurt us, it’s unacceptable.”
PHOTO ERIC BOLTE, USA TODAY SPORTS VIA REUTERS CON
CF Montreal played 11 players against 10 from the 54th minutee minute.
He particularly took to task his players who wanted to become “the protagonist, the hero” of the match by begging for their chances to score, instead of thinking of the collective interest.
The ego of some of us who forget that we are at such a moment of the match, at such a moment of the season, I was very disappointed at that level.
Laurent Courtois, head coach of CF Montreal
A better start to the match
On the other hand, before the last half-hour of more complicated play, Montreal had little to reproach itself for. It had even started the match much better than its last outings at Saputo stadium.
“The coach had stressed the importance of starting the first half well,” confirmed Raheem Edwards. “At home, we’re usually a better second-half team.”
PHOTO GRAHAM HUGHES, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Raheem Edwards stretches his leg to catch the ball.
The left-back was successful in his position on Saturday night. It was he who made the pass to Ruan for the 1-0, who headed the ball into the net. A combination between the left and right-backs that has been worked on since pre-season, revealed Edwards.
“We had been talking for a while about this piston-to-piston connection to score goals and be dangerous,” confirmed Courtois, who praised the Brazilian for the better management of his “timing” and his “reading of the right moments” to get into the box.
“These are situations that we think he could have created more often in the season. Not only to finish, but also to serve.”
That’s now two goals in three games for Ruan in Montreal, and in this campaign. He had pulled out his Flash mask against Philadelphia two weeks ago. This time, it was Uno cards.
“About 90 percent of our team really enjoys playing Uno!” Edwards said of his teammate’s celebration.
Ruan was the man of the match for Montreal: he was also the one who forced Atlanta defender Stian Gregersen into committing the offence that earned him his second yellow card of the match, and therefore his expulsion, in the 54th minute.e.
PHOTO GRAHAM HUGHES, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Right back Ruan was the man of the match for CF Montreal
From that point on, Montreal had its chances, but mostly on counterattacks. It probably wouldn’t have been such a close game if it hadn’t been for Brad Guzan’s brilliance in front of the visitors’ net. The American notably frustrated Josef Martínez, then Ruan in the 75the. He played the same trick on Jules-Anthony Vilsaint five minutes later, before parrying Mason Toye’s fine strike in the 88th minute.e.
A “colossal” defense
Meanwhile, the three-man defense of Joaquín Sosa, George Campbell and Fernando Álvarez, paired with a masterful Jonathan Sirois, held up against the Georgian offense.
” [La défensive] did a colossal job, Sirois stressed. We’re not going to lie to each other. I didn’t have to make any stops, even though I had to make several interventions. It shows the collective work of the three guys in front of me, as well as the [milieux défensifs] and my full-backs.”
PHOTO GRAHAM HUGHES, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Montreal defenders held up against Atlanta United attack
The end of the match was complicated, certainly. “But defensively, we didn’t relax anything,” said the jailer. And that’s a good thing, because it could have been dangerous.”
With these three important points, Montreal (26 pts) passes Atlanta in 10e position. Next Saturday’s match against Toronto FC (8e27 pts), at the Saputo stadium, already promises some gimmicks.
RISING
George Campbell
The ramparts were called upon late in the game, and George Campbell was up to the challenge. The American completed 101 of his 109 passes (93%), the highest total and the best success rate for both teams. He also distinguished himself with 15 defensive actions and 8 clearances, the busiest of the game in these areas.
FALLING
Josef Martinez
He has been praised for his leadership and his know-how recently. But on Saturday, Martínez was not very involved in the construction of the game, and when he had his chances, he did not convert them. He is perhaps one of those players who sought his own glory rather than that of the team on Saturday night.
Sunusi Ibrahim dismissed
Sunusi Ibrahim may be CF Montreal’s top scorer this season with six goals, but he wasn’t in uniform for this game, even though he was healthy. As justification, Courtois indicated that he “expected more from him in practice.”
Our colleague Antonin Besner, from RDS, asks Jonathan Sirois if, in general, his coach is becoming more intransigent towards his players. Not just about Ibrahim, but also in view of his disappointment with the management of the end of the match.
“I wouldn’t say he’s more uncompromising,” the goalie replied. “We’re at a stage of the season where everyone is coming back from injury. The coach has to make more decisions. He’s someone who wants to win, at the end of the day. With the way he plays, he wants to make sure that the players he can count on will be able to follow his game plan. He may have less patience, too. That’s understandable. We’ve played 23 games. We’re on the verge of making the playoffs. There’s more pressure, and he may be feeling it too. We’re all in the same boat on that.”