CF Montreal's Bryce Duke scores against Pumas UNAM during the first half of a Leagues Cup soccer match in Montreal on Saturday, July 22, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Peter McCabe

MONTREAL - A dramatic last-minute comeback from Pumas Unam that tied the match 2-2 and forced a penalty shootout came up short for the visitors as CF Montreal opened their Leagues Cup account, winning 4-2 on penalties.

As per Leagues Cup rules, winning in regulation yields three points while a win in penalties only comes with two, securing an advantage to qualify for round of 32 of the joint Major League Soccer-Liga MX tournament.

Bryce Duke and Mathieu Choinière were the first-half goal scorers for Montreal, while Gabriel Fernandez and Emanuel Montejano scored for Mexican side Pumas.

“I’m very happy with the result and the way we played tonight, especially for the first hour. This is going to give us a lot of confidence going forward,” said Montreal's head coach Hernan Losada. “The atmosphere tonight was incredible, this felt like a real Cup tie and the fans of both teams were involved for the entire match.”

With both teams employing a direct and counterattacking style of play, the game was wide open right from kickoff. As both teams shared waves of attack, Montreal appeared to find the most penetration, forcing Pumas back into their defensive shell.

It took just over 20 minutes for Montreal to find their breakthrough. After a lengthy stint of possession, Duke picked out the bottom corner and placed a perfect shot from outside the penalty area just out of reach of Pumas goalkeeper Gil Alcala, giving Montreal the lead.

“Goals change games, so when Bryce put that first one away it kind of gave us more confidence throughout the first half,” said defender Ariel Lassiter who was substituted off at halftime as he was returning from a hamstring injury.

“Against a team like Pumas, we always have to be ready and do a better job of controlling the game.”

Montreal continued to exercise control over the match as they doubled their lead and set the Stade Saputo crowd into raptures from a set piece just before the break. After winning a foul in a dangerous spot, Choinière sent a cross into the penalty are that avoided any header attempts, confusing Alcala and finding its way into the back of the net.

At the start of the second half, Pumas began pressing and looking for a way back into the game. As Montreal continued to absorb pressure and reject the visitor’s attacks, the game grew increasingly physical. Fouls and confrontations grew exponentially as the game winded down. There was also a mass confrontation following the shootout.

After pushing for the entire second half, Pumas finally managed to pull one back in the 87th minute through a spectacular volley from Fernandez, breathing life back into the visitors. This reinvigorated the pressure Pumas placed on the Montreal defence as the game entered additional time and desperation began to sink in.

As the pressure mounted, a scramble in the Montreal penalty area led to Emanuel Montejano jumping on a loose ball in injury time, completing the comeback for the seven-time Mexican champions.

“The first half was great, we limited their chances and they had some really dangerous players, but we had trouble getting out of our own zone again,” said defender Joel Waterman. “That’s football sometimes, they had two chances and scored on both.”

In the penalties for Pumas, Adrian Aldrete missed, Gabriel Fernandez and Cesar Huerta scored, before Jorge Ruvalcaba was stopped. For Montreal, Rudy Camacho, Choinière, Gabriele Corbo, and Lassi Lappalainen all scored.

“You could feel that penalties were going to go our way even if we conceded at the end and it speaks volumes about the mentality of this group, it was another way to show our character,” said Losada.

“This isn’t an easy result and Pumas is a very strong team with players that have been at the highest level, and this is a great result.”

NEXT UP

Both teams will play their final match of the group stage against D.C. United. Montreal will play United on Wednesday, while Pumas will play them next Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2023.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2023