CF Montreal Secures 2-0 Victory Over Orlando City FC with Late Goals
CF Montreal celebrated a thrilling 2-0 win over Orlando City FC on Saturday, thanks to a penalty kick scored by Daniel Rios in the 94th minute. This victory marks Montreal’s third win in their last four matches, bringing their record to 4-7-0 with a total of 12 points.
The match saw Montreal finally convert several opportunities into goals, with Rios netting his first MLS goal after Orlando’s Robin Jansson committed a foul by tackling Luca Petrasso. Rios successfully dispatched the penalty, sending the ball into the upper right corner, evading the diving attempt of goalie Maxime Crepeau.
Earlier, Rios had also contributed to Montreal’s 5-0 victory over Calgary Blizzard SC in the Canadian Championship just days prior. Following his decisive goal, Dagur Thorhallsson doubled Montreal’s lead with a right-footed shot from the middle of the box in the eighth minute of stoppage time.
Montreal dominated the match with a total of 25 shot attempts, including six efforts on target and 11 blocked shots. Goalkeeper Thomas Gillier made four saves, with support from his defense, notably when Dawid Bugaj blocked a shot by Duncan McGuire in the 88th minute.
Orlando City, now sitting at 3-8-1 with 10 points, was unable to secure a third consecutive win after their recent comeback against Inter Miami. The Lions have been struggling in Montreal, failing to win since Decision Day in the 2021 season. Crepeau, a native of Quebec, recorded three saves and faced a total of nine shot attempts against him.
Before the late surge in goals, Montreal had missed several chances, including four shots off target in the first half. Wikelman Carmona was denied in the opening minute, and Ivan Jaime also misfired after making a promising move in the box. The second half continued in a similar vein, with missed opportunities from Petrasso and Victor Loturi further compounding Montreal’s frustrations until the late goals sealed their victory.