Toronto FC Leaves It Late In Canadian Classique

You couldn’t leave it any later than Toronto FC did against 401 Derby rivals CF Montreal, with the Reds putting forth a two-minute double salvo to snatch a last-gasp win.

The hosts looked the more lively of the two sides early on, with both Daniel Salloi and Matheus Pereira forcing CF Montreal shotstopper Sebastian Breza into action as both sides grew into the match.

Toronto FC goalkeeper Luka Gavran was forced to come off just 23 minutes into the derby match after colliding with Prince Owusu, handing veteran goalkeeper William Yarbrough his first appearance for the club since arriving as a free agent in January.

The Mexican-American goalkeeper’s hopes of a debut clean sheet were dashed by CF Montreal early in the second half, with two former TFC players combining in the build-up: Prince Owusu played in Matty Longstaff, whose low effort was saved by Yarbrough – though the rebound was quickly scooped up and slotted home by Daniel Rios:

The visitors came inches from doubling their lead when Prince Owusu struck the post in the 80th minute. It was a missed opportunity that CF Montreal would regret, as while it seemed the visitors had locked in three points and a derby win, two minutes of absolute carnage in added time saw the result flip entirely.

The third minute of added time saw the lakeshore erupt as Toronto FC drew level through Lewis Morgan, who produced a tidy left-footed volley to meet a cross from Niklas Dorsch and open his account for the Reds:

Before most of the south end had even finished celebrating, the Reds left CF Montreal stunned as they found the back of the net for a second time. This time it came through a move started by Richie Laryea, who freed up recent national team call-up Theo Corbeanu on the right flank. The winger sent in a low cross that found former Montreal midfielder Djordje Mihailovic, who put a dagger into the heart of his former team to deliver Toronto FC a late derby win:

With both stoppage-time goals coming just 116 seconds apart, it was an absolute scene at BMO Field as supporters took in the unlikely comeback.

The late win bumps Toronto FC up to 32 points – a disappointing number at this stage of the season, but still within touching distance of a playoff spot. CF Montreal, meanwhile, remains locked to 24 points and the very bottom of the eastern conference.

With CF Montreal looking increasingly destitute in league standings, the Major League Soccer side will have added incentive to secure itself some silverware by way of the Canadian Championship: the five-time tournament winners host Forge FC later this month, with the winner earning direct qualification to the Concacaf Champions Cup. Expect nothing held back from interim CF Montreal head coach Philippe Eullaffroy for the occasion.