Matteo Mancosu delivered another clutch goal for the Montreal Impact in the first leg of their Eastern Conference semifinal against the New York Red Bulls on Sunday afternoon.
Just three days after his brace versus D.C. United in the knockout round, the Italian forward gave Montreal a 1-0 lead heading into the second leg at Red Bull Arena on Nov. 6.
However, it wasn’t just Mancosu who stood out. Marco Donadel, who provided the assist, was equally brilliant for the Impact as they close in on their first-ever conference final.
Here are three thoughts from Sunday’s first leg…
A tale of two attacks
The scoreline indicates that the match was hotly contested throughout, which was exactly the case.
The Red Bulls actually completed more passes in the final third and controlled possession. That was to be expected, as New York tends to press high up the field, win the ball and circulate it across the field.
Montreal’s game plan worked out perfectly, though. The hosts allowed New York to hold on to the ball, but they only allowed two or three clear-cut chances, two of which fell to Bradley Wright-Phillips in the opening 10 minutes.
The Impact continued to threaten on the counter and eventually won the battle of two different attacking philosophies.
Donadel, Ciman impress again
Donadel, the man who provided the assist for Mancosu, was excellent yet again for the Impact.
The midfielder restricted Sacha Kljestan, MLS’ assists leader, all game long. That was a major reason why the Red Bulls only had nine attempts in the match.
Donadel’s distribution was also key. The 33-year-old was a calming presence in the heart of midfield and kickstarted several counter-attacks for the Impact.
Reigning MLS defender of the year Laurent Ciman was immense at the back as well. He was constantly snuffing out the danger in the Impact’s penalty area and he was also operating as a deep-lying playmaker at times.
Montreal as a team was fantastic, but without Donadel and Ciman, the Impact wouldn’t have left Stade Saputo with a 1-0 advantage.
Mancosu making Montreal forget about Drogba
Didier Drogba missed another game with a back injury, but thanks to Mancosu, the Impact aren’t missing the Ivorian striker.
Mancosu bagged his third goal of the playoffs and his sixth since his arrival to MLS. The Impact have recorded four wins and one draw whenever the Italian scores, proving just how vital he has been over the past few weeks. By comparison, the Impact won just three times when Drogba started.
The Bologna striker is a menace in the box with his darting runs and composed finishing. So far, none of Mancosu’s opponents have been able to contain him in the post-season.
Even if Drogba is fit, surely head coach Mauro Biello will stick with Mancosu, especially with momentum on the Impact’s side.