• Montreal Impact 1 (Tabla 36’), Toronto FC 2 (Giovinco 53’, 90’ + 5’)
• TFC repeats as Canadian Championship winners
• Giovinco nets a brace, including the winner in injury time
TORONTO – The winner, and still champions of Canada: Toronto FC.
Sebastian Giovinco scored a pair of goals, including the winner deep into injury time, to lift TFC to a dramatic 2-1 victory over the Montreal Impact on Tuesday night in the second leg of the Canadian Championship final.
The teams played to a 1-1 draw in last week’s opening leg in Montreal, and with the score tied 1-1 late in this one, the aggregate series appeared destined for extra time. But Giovinco, like he’s done so many times before, stepped up when he had to, scoring on a setup from Canadian Raheem Edwards to send the 26,539 fans in attendance at BMO Field into a state of delirium.
By virtue of its win, Toronto not only repeats as Canadian champions, but it also automatically qualifies for next season’s CONCACAF Champions League. Had the Impact won the Canadian Championship, they would have met TFC in a one-game playoff on Aug. 9 at BMO Field to determine who advanced to the Champions League.
Toronto has now won the Canadian Championship six times.
“For us, it’s a big night because with this group we were able to lift a trophy in front of our fans, which is something that is very meaningful to us,” TFC coach Greg Vanney told reporters after the game.
“We’re very proud to be the Canadian champions. That’s a big thing for us; it’s one our goals, it’s one of those things we can check off [our list]. It also gives us the opportunity to compete in the Champions League … and we feel like we have a team that can be the first [MLS] team to win in.”
It was a sentiment echoed by TFC captain Michael Bradley.
“From the beginning of this year, this was a huge priority for us. We want to win trophies. We want to compete for every competition that we’re in. At the end of the year, we want to be the team that’s held up the best, and won the most, and competed the hardest,” Bradley said.
The match, though, was somewhat tainted by the appalling officiating of David Gantar. The Canadian referee kept his whistle in his pocket for most of the night, and in doing so he missed some blatant fouls and let the game get out of control at times. Then late in the match he brandished a red card to Impact captain Patrice Bernier, paving the way for Toronto to surge ahead and for Giovinco to net the winner in injury time.
Montreal coach Mauro Biello was incensed over Gantar’s decision to send off Bernier, feeling that the referee was unduly influenced by Bradley’s vociferous complaining.
“For the game to be decided like that by the refs who are not at the level, it’s unacceptable. To give a red card like that in a final, it’s disappointing,” Biello fumed. “You can’t get intimidated by players on the field. Players shouldn’t be dictating what the ref’s decision should be.”
Biello later added: “[Gantar] didn’t have a good game. … In the end, he has to be consistent with his calls.”
Vanney downplayed Gantar’s influence on the match.
“I’m not sitting here saying it was the best officiated game in the history of soccer. It is what it is … If it came down to officiating, [the Impact] can take that as their out for tonight,” Vanney offered.
This was the latest match in what is quickly becoming one of the most entertaining rivalries in Major League Soccer, coming on the heels of last season’s epic Eastern Conference final between the sides which was heralded as one of the greatest playoff series in league history.
“Whenever we play Montreal, it’s always a grind. They’re a veteran team, a good team and an organized team. Always a difficult opposition for us in every scenario, and it just seems like every time we play them the games are more and more exciting,” Vanney said.
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TFC left wingback Justin Morrow was away with the U.S. national team and Jozy Altidore was on the bench. Other than that, Vanney fielded a very strong lineup, highlighted by designated players Bradley and Giovinco, and Spanish playmaker Victor Vazquez. Biello countered with an equally forceful starting 11 that included DPs Ignacio Piatti and Blerim Džemaili, as well as Bernier and Italian forward Matteo Mancosu.
While TFC furiously pressed forward in attack and dictated the pace of the game right from the opening kickoff, the Impact sat back and calmly absorbed the pressure as it looked to hit out on the counter-attack. After failing to put away a clear chance created for him by Giovinco, Tosaint Ricketts directed a looping header on goal, only to see Impact goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau make a sensational play in palming it away to rob the Toronto forward of a sure goal.
The breakthrough came when Džemaili made a mad dash down the middle, only to be stopped by Toronto defender Chris Mavinga. But the ball broke kindly for Džemaili, who then played a pass for Ballou Tabla who beat Reds goalkeeper Clint Irwin with a wonderful finish into the top corner from the edge of the box. Totally against the run of play, Tabla’s goal was a sucker punch into the stomach of a TFC side that dominated proceedings up to that point.
Just before halftime, Montreal’s Kyle Fisher recklessly clattered into TFC wingback Steven Beitashour near the touchline. Fisher was only cautioned by Gantar, even though a red card was warranted.
Toronto aggressively pursued an equalizer by introducing Altidore and Marky Delgado at the start of the second half. Moments after being denied from point-blank range by Crepeau, Giovinco controlled a cross into the box from Bradley, turned past two defenders and whipped a shot by the Impact goalkeeper at the near post.
Altidore should have put the game away in the 82nd minute. Beitashour delivered a pinpoint ball from the wing into the middle of the box where Altidore slipped between Montreal players. He connected on a powerful header, but sent it whispering over the crossbar.
Giovinco looked to have earned a penalty late in regulation when he scampered into the box and was brought down from behind while bearing down on goal. Gantar inexplicably waved play on. Tensions boiled over soon after, with Montreal reduced to 10 men after Bernier was red carded for a rash tackle on Delgado.
In the dying seconds, Bradley won possession back for TFC, and Vazquez worked the ball out wide to Edwards who then crossed into the middle for Giovinco to slot it home.
After the game, Giovinco was awarded the George Gross Memorial Trophy as tournament MVP, before the entire TFC team celebrated on the field amid fireworks and celebrations as they hoisted the Voyageurs Cup trophy.
It’s been a somewhat underwhelming MLS season so far for Giovinco, in part due to injuries, but he reminded his critics why he is still one of the best players in MLS with this man-of-the-match performance.
“Today he showed that in certain moments he’s a little bit quicker than everybody else and a little but sharper than everybody else, and he has that ability to make plays. I’m proud of him because he’s been working incredibly hard in every facet of what we do in training,” Vanney offered.
“He feels the burden of being a guy who scores goals for us and helps us win games. He’s been pushing really hard, and tonight is the start of what can hopefully be a nice rhythm for him.”
NOTES: Toronto returns to MLS action on Saturday when it visits FC Dallas. Montreal hosts D.C. United on the same day… TFC leads the all-time series against the Impact with 17 wins and nine draws in 35 meetings in all competitions… The Impact last won the Canadian Championship in 2014… The Voyageurs Cup was originally funded and awarded by the Voyageurs, a Canadian soccer supporters group founded in 1996. Since 2008, the Canadian Soccer Association has presented the Voyageurs Cup trophy to the tournament champion.
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