Montreal Impact beat FC Cincinnati 5-4 in MLS thriller

 Montreal Impact edged out FC Cincinnati 5-4 in a nine-goal MLS thriller this weekend. 

In a game with plenty of twists and turns, Cincinnati surrendered the lead on two occasions with Montreal finally sealing their victory with an 87th minute winner. 

The away side got off to the perfect start and were 2-0 up with less than a quarter of an hour played. Minutes after Montreal had struck the bar, Haris Medunjanin grabbed Cincinnati’s first, finishing impressively with a left-footed effort from outside the box. 

The hosts then struck the woodwork for a second time. They were then made to rue their wastefulness when Brenner took advantage of James Pantemis’ lack of concentration, stealing the ball off the goalkeeper’s foot and putting Cincinnati two goals up with the simplest of finishes. 

Montreal responded well to this setback, netting twice in quick succession to level things up. First Mason Toye headed home a cross, then Joaquin Torres tapped home the rebound from Victor Wanyama’s saved effort. 

Just before the break Cincinnati poked their noses back in front when Gustavo Vallecilla volleyed home Alvaro Barreal’s free kick. They then made it 4-2 just 40 seconds into the second half with Brenner grabbing his second of the game. 

The visitors would have been expected to see things through from here, but Montreal refused to lie down. With just under 20 minutes to play Toye won and converted a penalty. Seconds later Ahmed Hamdy levelled things up, lashing home from just inside the box. 

Hamdy would then win it for his side at the death, making the most of some horrific Cincinnati defending with a real poacher’s finish. 

Surprisingly, the game does not rank as one of the top five highest scoring matches in MLS history. The top honour goes to LA Galaxy and Colorado Rapids, who played out a 7-4 thriller back in 1998. Four other contests have seen ten goals as well.