Sebrango Brace Gives Impact A Victory

The Cinderella Montreal Impact got back into CONCACAF Champions League action on Wednesday night in front of one of the largest crowds in Canadian soccer history.

Visiting Mexican power Santos Laguna could not overcome the conditions or the underdog Impact, and will have their work cut out in the return-leg next week.

First Half

The Impact got off to a bright start, opening the scoring in just the fifth minute through Eduardo Sebrango. The Cuban collected a trough ball from strike partner Roberto Brown and finished calmly past Oswaldo Sanchez, giving the Olympic Stadium crowd something to cheer about.

Christian Benitez should have equalized for Santos in the tenth minute when he was clear in on goal. The Ecuadorian did well to bring down a speculative ball, but could not put his left footed effort on frame from close range.  

The game settled in to a bit of a rhythm after the two early chances. Surprisingly, the USL side found their fare share of possession and carved out the next decent opportunity on goal in the 32^nd. A good ball in from the right flank found three Impact players unmarked at the back post, but Brown could not turn his headed effort downward and Sanchez was never troubled.

Santos found some success in sending long balls in behind the Montreal back line to Benitez, whose pace was clearly troubling the Impact defenders from the onset. However, Benitez was largely isolated in the first half, and Matias Vuoso was largely ineffective.

The home side took a 1-0 lead into the break.

Second Half

Sanchez and Impact goalkeeper Matt Jordan were both called into action in the first minute of the second half.

It was Benitez again testing the Impact goal, but the shot left something to be desired. Moments later it was Sanchez who collected a through ball that looked slightly troubling, but neither Montreal striker could outpace the Santos back line.

Santos began to take the offensive after the opening stages of the second half and Benitez almost leveled the match in the 52^nd with a curling left footer that sailed a bit high.

A Santos free-kick for Santos in the 56^th gave Jordan even more to worry about as the ‘keeper just managed to tip the ball wide of his post for a corner.

Four minutes later it was Benitez setting up a shot from Juan Pablo Rodriguez at the top of Montreal’s box, but Rodriguez could not find the target either.

The Impact weathered the storm and fought back into the flow of the match. On 69 minutes Brown tried an ambitious bicycle-kick that pushed past Sanchez’s right hand post.

Then in the 77^th Sebrango put the match out of reach. A floated ball into the head of Brown was flicked on into the Santos area where Sanchez was unable to beat the Cuban to the ball. Sebrango flicked the ball past the scrambling Mexican ‘keeper into the net and Montreal had a 2-0 lead.   

Vuoso came close to pulling one back in the 81^st when he was found in a bit of space near the Impact goal, but his touch went just wide.

Montreal held on for the final minutes and head into the second leg of the quarterfinals with a two goal advantage.

Allen Ramsey, Goal.com