CF Montreal's Bryce Duke (10) challenges Vaughan SC's Chris Mannella during first half preliminary round Canadian Championship soccer action in Montreal, Tuesday, April 18, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

MONTREAL - CF Montreal cruised to their first win in three games, beating the Vaughan Azzurri 2-0 on Tuesday evening to advance to the Canadian Championship quarterfinals.

In the process, the club picked up some much-needed confidence, asserting itself throughout the majority of the game by stringing together long runs of possession in dangerous areas on the pitch.

"It’s a good starting point for everything else that’s to come," said head coach Hernan Losada. "The circulation of the ball was much quicker than other games, especially when you play teams in a medium or low block.

“We should’ve scored more, but it feels good giving returning players some minutes and letting people get back into their rhythm. It’s good for the confidence and for the mentality.”

Sean Rea (30th minute) and Sunusi Ibrahim (36th minute) both scored for Montreal, with Rea netting the club’s first goal in exactly 300 minutes.

Vaughan came out aggressive in the first 10 minutes, much to the surprise of the heavily rotated Montreal squad, and created the game’s first golden scoring opportunity.

Omar Mazrouk was played in behind and beat Rudy Camacho with his pace, but couldn’t get the shot past goalkeeper Logan Ketterer, who was making his first-ever appearance for Montreal.

“We thought they would come out with pace and energy … and when we turned them over, we could get space in behind and almost match them athletically,” said Vaughan head coach Sergio de Luca.

“I thought we were brave and courageous; we knew that we would give up spaces in certain places. We knew we could defend the box well, and the one time we didn’t it they got a goal.”

As Montreal regained its composure, it slowly pinned Vaughan in its defensive third with a very high press and multiple line-breaking passes, using the width to its advantage. At the 25-minute mark, Ilias Iliadis sent a header off the crossbar after a scramble in the penalty area.

That turned out to be a warning, as just five minutes later Rea scored his first goal for his boyhood club.

Off a corner from Rida Zouhir, Rea created just enough space for himself with his first touch to then shoot the ball into the bottom right corner. Rea has been with the club since the age of 12 and is now playing his first full season with the senior team.

“It’s been a dream of mine since I was a kid to score in front of our fans, so I’m thrilled it happened tonight,” said Rea. “[I ran to Zouhir right away] because we’ve been playing together since we were little kids and being able to score a goal together is a dream come true for us.”

As the pressure mounted, Montreal added a second goal six minutes later. Ariel Lassiter received the ball in space on the wing and found Ibrahim with a low cross, doubling the lead.

The second half opened in a similar fashion to the first. Vaughan came out with an energy that seemingly caught Montreal off guard and enjoyed long stints of possession in the Montreal third.

However, Montreal re-took control of the game and cruised through the rest of the match.

In addition to Ketterer, defender George Campbell also made his debut. Campbell was acquired in the off-season from Atlanta United but missed two months with an ankle injury.

“Collectively, this was a good and solid game. It was a very big positive to finally keep a clean sheet. It’s not just an accomplishment for the back line when you get a clean sheet, it’s a team effort,” said Losada. “It may not be a reference game, but it’s still an important one.”

Montreal will now face last year’s finalists Toronto FC on May 9. Toronto eliminated Montreal in last year’s semifinal, winning 4-0.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 18, 2023.

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