SAN JOSE, Calif. — Saphir Taider punched home a well-placed cross from Zakaria Diallo in the 44th minute and the Montreal Impact opened the season with a 2-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday night.
Ignacio Piatti tied it at 1 for the Impact with a rocket in the 29th minute. Piatti took Taider’s short corner and weaved into a soft spot in the defence to get an opening for the close-range shot.
Montreal head coach Remi Garde said his team didn’t control the game but worked hard to get the victory.
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"We didn’t panic and we were able to come back from behind away from home, which takes a lot of character," he said.
Magnus Eriksson gave the Earthquakes the lead in the 11th minute, turning on Valeri Qazaishvili’s pass and sending in a left-footed shot from the top of the 18-yard box.
Coach Matias Almeyda made his Earthquakes debut.
Impact midfielder Samuel Piette said it was a difficult game as San Jose was consistently applying pressure.
"Players stood out individually and that was the key for us tonight," he said. "It was a good team performance, but the individual efforts made the difference."
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