C.F. Montreal kicked off their Canadian Championship campaign with a convincing 2-0 victory over the Vaughan Azzurri at Saputo Stadium on Tuesday night. Despite struggling in the MLS this season, Montreal were dominant against their opponents, who won the League1 Ontario title without a loss in 2022.
Sean Rea and Sunusi Ibrahim found the back of the net in the first half for C.F. Montreal, who fired 25 shots on goal, with 11 on target. In his first start for Montreal, goalkeeper Logan Ketterer recorded a shutout, although he was rarely tested throughout the match.
Hernan Losada’s side will now face Toronto F.C. in the quarter-finals of the Canadian tournament, with the game scheduled to take place between May 9 and 11.
Following their victory, Montreal will return to MLS action on Saturday night when they take on the New York Red Bulls at Saputo Stadium.
The game got off to a nervy start for Montreal, but they soon found their rhythm and dominated their opponents. The much-needed creativity of C.F. Montreal since the beginning of the season came to the fore after about ten minutes, with Bryce Duke, Ariel Lassiter, Ilias Iliadis and Rea making many offensive moves, but goalkeeper Gianluca Catalano was able to keep them at bay.
Rea opened the scoring in the 31st minute following a corner kick, with Gabriele Corbo redirecting the ball to him, and the Quebec player beat Catalano with a low shot. Just five minutes later, Ibrahim doubled Montreal’s lead after a great pass from Lassiter.
C.F. Montreal continued to apply pressure late in the first half, but Ibrahim was denied by Catalano. In the second half, Montreal made several inroads into the opponent’s territory but were unable to extend their lead. At the end of the game, Chinonso Offor thought he had scored, but the referee on the sidelines called it offside.