CF Montreal settled for a 2-2 draw with the Portland Timbers after conceding a late equalizer at Stade Saputo on Wednesday.
Daniel Rios and Wiki Carmona scored for Montreal (4-1-7) as a four-game winning streak at home came to an end. Kevin Kelsy and Cole Bassett countered for Portland (4-2-6).
“We’re still missing spontaneity in the final third and we take too long to capitalize on our chances,” said Montreal's interim head coach Philippe Eullaffroy, who has yet to lose at home since taking over.
"I like games with lots of moving parts, and there’s lots of action, because we’re also here to make the games nice to watch. We’re headed in the right direction, but it takes two teams to put on a great game.”
Unseasonably cold weather and rain seemed to affect the players, leading to a slow, measured start with little offence. Both teams eventually grew into the game, opening up and creating chances as the game progressed.
Montreal was the first to capitalize just 10 minutes into the game.
After combining with Matty Longstaff, Rios turned with the ball at the top of the penalty area and sent a beautiful curling effort into the top corner.
Since his first start three games ago, Rios has been in excellent form and scored in every game.
“It’s about risking a few more passes. I do that in training quite a lot so it’s time to bring that onto the pitch,” said Longstaff, whose game has been completely revolutionized, scoring twice and picking up three assists in five games under Eullaffroy.
“When he took over, we had a good conversation about playing higher up […] and have more licence to be in and around the box. When I drop deep, they’re always screaming at me to get higher.”
Sensing their advantage, Montreal produced two other golden scoring chances in the following minutes in the hope of putting more distance between themselves and Portland, but couldn't convert.
They wound up regretting those misses when the Timbers struck back in the 20th minute to draw even.
Kelsy took advantage of several Montreal errors in marking during a corner kick. He found a wide-open, point-bank shot and finished past a helpless Thomas Gillier.
Following Portland's goal, the visitors saw their own opportunity to assert dominance as Montreal conceded possession for significant periods, looking instead to hit back on the counter.
“We would like to have possession higher up the pitch and be more careful when we build out,” said Eullaffroy. “We’re improving on that, and because we’re still improving, there’s still a concern [with a lack of possession], but we’re doing better. There were moments where we didn’t have much possession, but over 90 minutes, it was pretty balanced.”
The counter paid off at the stroke of halftime when Longstaff picked up his second assist of the game after playing Carmona in behind the defence.
The Venezuelan international made no mistake as he waited out goalkeeper James Pantemis and fired the ball into the corner.
Montreal undertook the second half in a similar fashion and relied on a compact block as Portland’s possession numbers continued to rise.
Despite repeatedly beating back waves of Portland attacks, Montreal succumbed with just under 15 minutes left to play.
The Timbers found their equalizer when Bassett picked up his own rebound after hitting the post.
“The result hurts right now because the win was within reach," said captain Samuel Piette. "We were in a good run of form and we wanted to keep that going, but there were some actions that we didn’t handle that well.
"There were several chances where we could’ve gone and killed the game, so this feels like two points lost instead of one point gained.”
The game opened up after the equalizer. Both teams pressed their luck for the three points, but half-chances weren't enough to generate a go-ahead goal.
Up next
Montreal: Finish a homestand Saturday against Chicago.
Portland: Visit Lionel Messi and Inter Miami on Sunday.