Sport has the gift of making people vibrate and offering moments of collective euphoria. However, on Wednesday evening, he showed what was poles apart: all his cruelty.
In the first half, CF Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois played one of the best halves by a goalkeeper in a Montreal uniform. He made six saves, most of them very complex, including one with the toe after a deflection. A little caviar.
If the teams retreated to the locker room on a clean score, it is thanks to the doorman.
Then in the second half, on a trivial game, everything collapsed. Sirois came forward in his area to clear a distant cross, but a Vancouver Whitecaps player came between the Quebecer and the leather. So that same player, Brian White, spun with the ball as Sirois recovered from his crash and scored the easiest goal of his career.
Sirois then let himself down, took his head and could well wonder if there is justice in sport.
Nevertheless, that was what the Impact cared about: its brilliance. Once the dam gave way, the locals no longer looked back. Despite a glimmer of hope signed Sunusi Ibrahim late in the game, the Montrealers lost the flag 2-1 Wednesday night in the final of the Canadian Championship.
PHOTO ANNE-MARIE SORVIN, USA TODAY SPORTS
Sunusi Ibrahim (14) and Simon Becher (29)
The CFM came very close to going to the penalty shootout, but two saves from Yohei Takaoka at the end of the match sealed the outcome of the match.
Along with being Canadian champions, the Whitecaps have earned a spot in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup — a competition formerly known as the Concacaf Champions League. The British Columbia club managed to defend its title acquired in 2022.
The Bleu-blanc-noir was trying to win the Canadian Championship for the first time since 2021. His quest for a 17e title was stopped in the final.