Columbus Crew SC (4-2-1, 13 pts.) were unable to capitalize on a handful of solid chances as the away side fell 1-0 to the Montreal Impact (3-2-2, 11 pts.) in their home-opener on Saturday, April 13 at Stade Saputo.
In the first half, the Black & Gold created multiple goal-scoring opportunities in the first half, with midfielders Federico Higuain and Robinho each posting solid chances in the 22nd and 26th minute, respectively, but were both blocked by Montreal goalkeeper Evan Bush. In the 39th minute, forward Gyasi Zardes tried to redirect the ball into the net but as it rolled just outside of the goal frame.
Crew SC opened up the second half of play with a curving shot by Robinho that was tipped out of bounds by Bush in the 52nd minute. In the 55th minute, Montreal's Maxi Urruti dropped the ball back to Harry Novillo, who drove the ball past goalkeeper Zack Steffen, the first goal Steffen has conceded in 499 consecutive minutes of play. In the 68th minute, Higuain's corner kick was deflected off of the bottom of the crossbar and was eventually cleared.
With this loss, the Black & Gold's record in Montreal since 2014 drops to 1-4-0. Up next, Columbus returns to MAPFRE Stadium to host the Portland Timbers on Saturday, April 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Supporters can watch the match on FOX Sports Ohio, stream on FOX Sports GO, or listen on 97.1 FM The Fan or www.ColumbusCrewSC.com (English & Spanish).
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Goal Scoring Rundown:
MTL ā Harry Novillo (Maxi Urruti), 55th minute: Novillo drives a ball to the bottom left corner off of a dropped pass from Urruti. CLB 0, MTL 1 | FINAL
Lineups:
Columbus Crew SC
Montreal Impact
Match Notes:
- With his appearance in todayās contest, defender Waylon Francis reached his 100th regular-season appearance (86th start) in MLS since joining the League in 2014. Of Francisā 100 regular-season appearances, 89 of them have come with Crew SC. In todayās match, Francis played the entire 90 minutes and made three tackles, more than any player for the Crew during the contest. In 2019, Francis has made six regular-season appearances (all starts) for the Black & Gold.
- Zack Steffenās shutout streak came to an end in the 55th minute of todayās contest against the Montreal Impact. Steffenās streak began in the sixth minute of a home contest against the New York Red Bulls (March 2), with the goalkeeper not allowing a goal until todayās match. Notably, Steffenās 499-minute shutout streak is now second on the Crewās list of all-time regular-season shutout streaks, behind the 525-minute shutout streak which he set last season. In 2019, Steffen has made six regular-season appearances (all starts), registering four shutouts.
- Midfielder Artur had more touches on the ball (139) and attempted more passes (129) than any other player on the field during todayās match against the Montreal Impact. Additionally, Artur completed 90.7 percent of his passes, had one shot and made one tackle. In 2019, Artur has made seven regular-season appearances (all starts) for Columbus.
- With todayās result against the Montreal Impact, Crew SCās 2019 regular-season record is now 4-2-1 (13 points). Next up, Crew SC has a home contest against the Portland Timbers at MAPFRE Stadium on Saturday, April 20 (7:30 p.m. ET / Fox Sports Ohio, FOX Sports GO / 97.1 The Fan and streaming online via the āListen Liveā button at 971TheFan.com / Spanish audio stream on ColumbusCrewSC.com).
