Former Harambee Stars captain Victor Wanyama watched from the bench as CF Montreal suffered a late collapse against Chicago Fire, squandering a two-goal lead to lose in dramatic fashion.
Montreal, entering the match with confidence after an unbeaten record in their first three away games and a recent victory over Inter Miami, faced a struggling Chicago Fire side seeking their first win of the season.
The game took a surprising turn as Montreal surged to a 3-1 lead in the 82nd minute, courtesy of early penalties converted by Matias Coccaro and a second-half strike from Dominik Yankov, assisted by substitute Josef Martinez. However, their hopes were dashed when Canadian wing-back Raheem Edwards received a red card, leading to a converted penalty by Brian Gutierrez for Chicago Fire.
Fueled by the home crowd’s support, Chicago Fire launched a relentless assault, culminating in Belgian forward Hugo Cuypers scoring a late equalizer in stoppage time. With the match seemingly headed for a draw, Chicago Fire delivered a stunning blow in the dying seconds.
In a moment of sheer unpredictability, Chicago’s offseason acquisition, Acosta, launched a long aerial ball into the box. The swirling winds of the Windy City played havoc with Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois, causing him to misjudge the trajectory of the ball, which ended up finding the back of the net.
The result marked a historic achievement for Chicago Fire, as no team in MLS history had ever won a game after trailing by two goals in the 84th minute or later.
Wanyama, an unused substitute for Laurent Courtois’ men, remained on the bench despite Montreal’s struggles. The Kenyan international has yet to start a game this season, despite assurances by new coach Courtois that he will have a significant role after spending much of last season on the bench.
Montreal’s coach, Courtois, expressed frustration over the result, citing controversial refereeing decisions and added time: “Twenty-two added minutes, a red card on the (Chicago) goalkeeper that wasn’t given… the third goal came from a corner that shouldn’t have been, the first goal was offside. Something was taken away from my guys.”
With this defeat, Montreal slipped to third on the table with seven points, trailing Inter Miami and Columbus Crew by three points each.
