CF Montreal took advantage of a great performance from Kei Kamara and shrugged off the rain to beat the Chicago Fire 3-2 on Tuesday night at Saputo Stadium.
The playing conditions were tough but Kamara rose above the fray collecting two goals and an assist in just 62 minutes of work.
His brilliance allowed CF Montreal (17-9-5) to extend their lead to six points over the New York Red Bulls, ranked second in the Eastern Conference. He also kept his slim chance of catching the Philadelphia Union, who hold a seven-point lead at the top with three games to go.
Zachary Brault-Guillard completed the scoring for the home team with a second goal in as many games. He had confirmed his team’s place in the next playoffs following a dramatic goal on Friday.
The Montreal troupe is undefeated in its last three games (2-0-1) and it has not lost against the Fire (9-14-8) in its last five confrontations (4-0-1), i.e. since the August 10, 2019.
Xherdan Shaqiri, on penalties, scored both goals for the Chicago team, which saw their chances of making the playoffs take a hit. The Fire are currently seven points behind the Columbus Crew and seventh in the East.
In the midst of a three-game-in-eight-day streak, head coach Wilfried Nancy left out a few regulars, including defensemen Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller. Midfielder Victor Wanyama and forward Romell Quioto entered the second half for the Montrealers.
CF Montreal will return to action on Saturday night when they visit the New England Revolution.
The old trucker gets up
Both teams were slow to find their rhythm in the first 15 minutes, but CF Montreal was the first to get going.
The Bleu-blanc-noir took the lead in the 21st minute, following a corner kick. Ismaël Koné inherited the ball and fired a low shot that Kamara deftly deflected with his right heel.
The crowd was able to celebrate only eight minutes later, again thanks to Kamara. After a missed touch of the ball from defender Jonathan Bornstein, Brault-Guillard pushed the object towards Koné, who handed it to Kamara. The 38-year-old veteran unleashed a lively strike that goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina did not stop.
A miscalculated exit from Sebastian Breza, however, allowed the Fire to close the gap in the 39th minute. Shaqiri fired a low shot that the CF Montreal goalkeeper partially blocked, but not enough to prevent the ball from entering the net.
Wilfried Nancy’s men, however, replied before returning to the locker room. Bornstein once again made a bad touch with the ball and it benefited Kamara. The latter made a nice pass to Brault-Guillard, who threaded the needle following a low shot.
Defender Joel Waterman opened the door for the visitors after committing a foul in the penalty area. Shaqiri moved to the penalty spot and fired a shot away from Breza’s dive.