Game of the Year Candidate in Mexico & FIFA Actually Get Something Right.

By: chris | March 6th, 2009

This was, by far, the single best CONCACAF Champions League game I have ever seen. Of course it’s the only CONCACAF CL game I’ve ever seen. And I really only saw half, but let’s not let details and facts cloud the scintillating glow of this game.

The Montreal Impact went into the game with a 2-0 lead on aggregate after dazzling their 55k fans in Quebec. The half-time score in Mexico was 2-1 to Montreal, effectively sending Santos Laguna crashing out of the CCL.

Four goals in a half? Please. That’s simply impossible. Except no one told the Mexicans.

The second half looked like something out of a training video. I’m not sure Montreal ever got out of their final 20 more than a half dozen times and to say they had 15% possession may be generous – even 10% might be exaggerating. And when you can’t really defend in the first place, sitting back for 45 minutes against a team with a cavalry’s worth of attackers isn’t going to turn out all that spectacularly.

Needing to win 5-2 after Montreal’s first half away goals, the game seemed done and dusted in the 90th minute with Santos up 3-2 but down on aggregate 4-3. Enter Carlos Darwin Quintero, a Lilliputian 21yo attacker from Colombia.

Words fail, so feel free to watch the final six minutes for yourselves – and make sure to notice how karma once again reigned supreme after the mind-boggling penalty no-call (3:07).

But what’s most amazing about all of this? FIFA named Quintero in its “Players To Watch In 2009″ list just last month.

FIFA can’t get anything right and yet they hit the nail squarely on the head here? Pigs be flyin’.

	Soccer Forums	Team/International Results

Category: CONCACAF, World Football

Tags: Carlos Darwin Quintero, CONCACAF, CONCACAF Champions League, Montreal Impact, Santos Laguna, World Football

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Comments  

• Sam |  March 6th, 2009 at 9:37 am

  
  
  

  Fuck.

  Posted from United States

  

• Laurie |  March 6th, 2009 at 10:36 am

  
  
  

  I was rooting for Montreal, and after that third goal, I had to leave the room. There was such a sick aura of inevitability about that last goal.

  Posted from United States

  

• Lucas |  March 6th, 2009 at 10:57 am

  
  
  

  Ha ha, screw the limp act.

  Posted from United States

  

• Ryan G |  March 6th, 2009 at 11:55 am

  
  
  

  What an amazing second half. This was the first CL game I watched and was about to turn it off around the 50th minute, but something in way that Santos was playing kept me glued till the end. What a game! To be fair, the Impact are in preseason and have only played one other 90 minute game. It definitely showed in the last 20 minutes.

  Posted from United States

  

• Eric from Attacking90 |  March 6th, 2009 at 12:47 pm

  
  
  

  The Impact *knew* they had it in the bag and they were walking. Their defending was slack.

  I thought the Impact played decent football, but they were outclassed. Santos has serious quality passing, skills on the ball, and striking. And Santos always *knew* they should win, they knew they were so much better they could take the game in a moment, and basically they did.

  Criminy, though, how could Montreal have thrown it all away?!

  Posted from United States

  

• Laurie |  March 6th, 2009 at 1:08 pm

  
  
  

  Rather than calling the defending “slack,” I would call it more…oh…what’s the word… Nonexistent. That’s it.

  Except that doesn’t quite go far enough.

  Posted from United States

  

• Angelo |  March 6th, 2009 at 2:28 pm

  
  
  

  Are you F*^#$&% KIDDING ME IMPACT ?!!??!!! what was that ??!?!?!?!??!

  Posted from United States

  

• Alex |  March 6th, 2009 at 11:45 pm

  
  
  

  ryan G…preseason?…i usually root for the underdog is this…but the impact threw this away…i gotta give credit to santos because when they scored those 2 away goals…they should of folded….

  please note…this isnt the first time a mexican team comes from behind to win a game like this…

  Posted from United States

  

• Alan |  March 7th, 2009 at 1:03 am

  
  
  

  That game was amazing!

  Posted from United States

  

• fwembt |  March 8th, 2009 at 12:59 am

  
  
  

  Wow.

  Posted from United States

  

• Marco P. |  March 8th, 2009 at 1:16 am

  
  
  

  Absolute disgrace. I actually went to the Montreal Olympic stadium to watch the first leg: everyone was so happy the Impact won, singing their praises bla bla bla.

  The sad reality of things is that a team which is incapable of holding the ball and manages to concede 4 goals in 20 minutes does not deserve to be in the semi-finals.

  Posted from United States

  

• roberto |  March 8th, 2009 at 2:15 pm

  
  
  

  Just be happy you went that far Montreal.

  Posted from United States

  

Comments are closed