Impact Fall 2-1
July 28, 2009 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Montreal Impact News Release
MONTREAL - In a very close game, the Montreal Impact lost 2-1 against French Ligue 1 champions FC Girondins de Bordeaux, Tuesday, in front of 11,948 spectators, at Saputo Stadium, in the 5th of six international matches presented in Montreal this summer.
"We knew that Bordeaux was a team with a superior calibre, but we had a clear game plan and we knew that we needed to stay organized to play well," declared Impact head coach Marc Dos Santos. "We allowed them to play in front of us, which enabled us to adapt during the match. We also took advantage of the opportunities we had in couterattack, which allowed us to score a goal, nearly two."
"The Impact showed a good calibre tonight," mentioned Girondins de Bordeaux head coach Laurent Blanc. "I think that the Impact would have its place in French Ligue 2. To be sure, they would need to play against French clubs more often. We were greeted very well by our Canadian friends and we can say that our stay here went really well."
"I think we should be proud of ourselves because we followed our game plan the full 90 minutes," added Dos Santos. "We must always play with the same intensity level as tonight."
Bordeaux midfielder Henri Saivet opened the score at the 37th minute of play. Following a series of quick direct passes in Impact territory, Saivet completed the sequence by firing a low strike from the penalty point that hit the inner post before beating goalkeeper Matt Jordan to his right.
The Montreal Impact tied the score at the 66th minute. Midfielder Ciaran O'Brien, who was named the Impact Player of the Match, relayed the ball behind the Bordeaux defense for midfielder Tony Donatelli, who had entered the game at the 45th minute. Donatelli took a shot upon reception, beating goalkeeper Ulrich Ramé under his right arm.
Bordeaux scored the game-winning goal at the 80th minute. Following a cross from midfielder Jaroslav Plasil that was deflected by forward Jussie Ferreira Vieira, defender Yoann Gouffran netted the ball as he was on the ground, beating Matt Jordan to his left.
The Impact almost tied the game twice in the last minutes when Pierre-Rudolph Mayard got two scoring opportunities. Both times, his shot was saved by goalkeeper Ulrich Ramé.
"The game was in a way an experiment, to the extent that we wanted to give all we had for our fans, without necessarily knowing what would happen," noted team captain Mauro Biello. "The level was obviously very sustained and I think that even as players, we were able to appreciate the quality of our opponents. But in the end, tonight's result has also allowed us to show the quality of our team, which is very positive."
Goalkeeper Matt Jordan returned to the game after having been replaced by Srdjan Djekanovic in the last four matches. He faced 11 shots, notably standing out at the 78th minute when forward David Bellion took a low shot from about 25 meters, which Jordan stopped by diving to his right.
The Impact will play its next season match against Miami FC, Saturday, at FIU Stadium, in Miami, at 8 pm (USLlive.com).
The Impact will play its last international match this summer against first division Argentinean club River Plate, next Tuesday, at 7:30 pm, at Saputo Stadium (corussports.com, radio-canada.ca/sports, CKAC Sports, THE TEAM 990). Excellent tickets are still available through Admission (514-790-1245 / admission.com) or at the ticketing office of Saputo Stadium.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
7th minute - Bordeaux defender Pierre Ducasse intercepted a corner kick weakly cleared by the Montreal defense and took a low shot that went to the right of the Impact goal.
26th minute - On a free kick situation, forward Roberto Brown took a powerful strike 20 meters out that FC Bordeaux goalkeeper Ulrich Ramé stopped by diving to his right.
28th minute - Following a deep pass from Bordeaux midfielder Fernando Menegazzo, forward David Bellion sprinted and took a low shot that goalkeeper Matt Jordan deflected to the right of the goal.
43rd minute - Following a free kick from Leonardo Di Lorenzo 30 meters out, central defender Elkana Mayard headed from the far post a ball that Nevio Pizzolitto came close to striking with a point blank shot.
53rd minute - From the corner of the box, Girondins David Bellion unleashed a powerful shot that Matt Jordan punched outside the zone.
89th minute - Bordeaux Yoan Gouffran fired a strong low strike from the edge of the box that went to the right of the goal.
90th minute - Following a pass from Peter Byers, forward Pierre-Rudolph Mayard fired a shot from near the penalty spot that went just to the right of the Bordeaux goal.
NEXT MATCHES
- Saturday, August 1 - IMPACT @ Miami - FIU Stadium - 8 pm (USLlive.com)
- Tuesday, August 4 - River Plate @ IMPACT - Saputo Stadium - 7:30 pm (corussports.com, radio-canada.ca/sports, CKAC Sports, THE TEAM 990)*
- Sunday, August 9 - Minnesota @ IMPACT - Saputo Stadium - 3:30 pm (Radio-Canada, CKAC Sports, THE TEAM 990, USLlive.com)
*International match
USL First Division Stories from July 28, 2009
- Impact Fall 2-1 - Montreal Impact
- Timbers Loan Jallow to Sweden - Portland Timbers
- Richardson named Player of the Week - USL-1
- Carolina's Richardson named USL-1 Player of the Week - North Carolina FC
- Timbers to Host First Kids Day at PGE Park - Portland Timbers
- Defender Hicham Aaboubou Back With Impact - Montreal Impact
- USL Week 16 Pro Honors Announced - USL-1
- Battery readies for Austin Aztex - Charleston Battery
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
