We were ready to bury them. Then Lassi got up.
In the 96th minute, while CF Montreal had struggled, struggled and struggled again to score, to save its catastrophic end to the season, to find the one who would make the difference, Lassi Lappalainen finally found the solution. He took a shot in the box that made its way into the back of the net, tied the score at 1-1 against the Houston Dynamo, and thus put the Impact directly back in the race for the playoffs.
On the sidelines, Hernán Losada did not celebrate. Instead, he expressed a look of great relief, bowing his head as supporters behind cheered.
“I celebrated inside,” he said at a press conference, with a smile on his face. There’s a little Losada here [points to his heart] who jumped. But you didn’t see that. »
Lappalainen, always not very talkative, was true to himself at the press conference. If we saw him smile after his saving shot, he assures that “you should never celebrate a point, unless it is the last match and you ensure a place in the playoffs”.
His entry in the 75th minute gave energy to the CFM, who seemed to be running out of ideas at that moment. Even though we were starting to wonder what Losada was waiting for to make his changes, so Montreal was standing still.
Lappalainen explained that “20 minutes was enough” for him on Wednesday.
“I’ve been sick the last four, five days,” he said. Even two days ago I didn’t feel well. I don’t know if I had any more in the tank today. »
Unlike the last two Saturdays, Montreal was not downgraded on Wednesday. But he didn’t show anything very conclusive in his game either. His ineffectiveness in the final third was once again a glaring problem.
This is, among other things, what explained why the CFM head coach did not raise his arms to the sky and jump around on the pitch at Saputo stadium.
“We want to win,” he said. We did a lot of good things to win the match. »
The technician emphasizes that Houston is a “very well organized” team, which presented a tight low block after taking the lead in the 10th minute.
“We did absolutely everything. The efforts were there. The players gave their all from start to finish. Maybe that’s why I didn’t celebrate, but in the end, it’s a point, and the playoff race is still possible. »
The fact remains that Montreal has not won for seven consecutive games, which makes it equal to a sad club record in MLS. He was very close to leaving the playoff picture, moreover, had it not been for Lappalainen’s saving shot. The other results in MLS on Wednesday meant that he would be positioned in 10th place in the event of a defeat. He finally returned to the ninth position with which he started the evening.
On the other hand, Houston did not offer its best copy either. The visitors took an early lead, then tried to take advantage of the blunders of the nervous and error-prone locals.
Montreal had started its match well. He seemed to have regained the confidence he had lost in the last two matches abroad. Then, in the 10th minute, Fernando Álvarez went down on the touchline, and a nice passing play between Aliyu Ibrahim and Sebastian Kowalczyk allowed Artur to score with a superb strike towards the top left corner of the net.
“It’s two points that go down the drain,” said Joel Waterman, who nevertheless noted the “great resilience” of his teammates in getting the goal at the very end.
He celebrated Lappalainen’s goal. “I just turned around and screamed at the crowd! The celebrations are still unclear, but I just wanted to bring the ball back to the center point to try to score a second one quickly. »
Waterman was brilliant on Wednesday. He even wore the captain’s armband for the entire second half, after Samuel Piette gave up his place. The latter had a yellow card and multiplied the risky fouls at the end of the first period.
The Canadian defender appreciated “this great honor” that was given to him, even if he recognizes that he “still has to work on certain things to be at the level” of leadership that he wishes to demonstrate.
Waterman, however, revealed after the match that he will not be part of the Canadian squad for the friendly match against Japan on October 13. The announcement of the summoned players will be made this Thursday morning.
“When I found out, it gave me extra motivation to continue playing well. […] I have a little grudge [a chip on my shoulder] which will push me for Saturday. »
With this small point collected against the Dynamo, the stakes of this match against the Portland Timbers grow even more. Because you don’t want to have to visit Wilfried Nancy’s Crew in the last match of the season looking for a result.
He supervised the Montreal defense very well, he multiplied the good defensive withdrawals, and he wore the captain’s armband in the second half after the exit of Samuel Piette. Joel Waterman very rarely has a bad game, and Wednesday’s was no exception.
George Campbell was beaten several times in his lane. This is not the first time he has struggled in this area. Waterman notably had to repair one of his mistakes in the first half. Then he made a blunder that could very well have destroyed any hope of CF Montreal’s comeback in the 76th minute. Campbell has his qualities, but his speed is not one of them, and he does not always make the right decisions.
