In a discouraging 1-1 draw at Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando City was unable to hang on to Martin Ojeda’s first-half goal, and a late penalty kick by Montreal sent the Lions to their third consecutive game without a victory. Near the end of regulation, Prince Owusu tied the game with a free throw after Rodrigo Schlegel fouled him. Out of Montreal’s four attempts, only one went in, resulting in a score of 3-13-6 (15 points).
Like every game this season, the first half was shaky and dull. Neither side could muster a serious threat when Montreal controlled the ball for the majority of the first half. Despite receiving a free kick in the tenth minute, the away team chose not to capitalize on it. All was quiet for the first fifteen minutes until that happened.
Ojeda had a great opportunity for Orlando City in the 17th minute, but he sent his volley, which was stopped, high into the wall.
The game didn’t see its first shot on goal until the 24th minute.
From just outside the penalty area, Muriel attempted a left-footed shot that Jonathan Sirois brilliantly blocked. Three minutes into the game, the Lions finally broke the deadlock with a goal from a set piece. Just outside the penalty box, in the 27th minute, Samuel Piette struck Pasalic. Ojeda passed it to the Colombian striker as Muriel and he stood over it.
The Argentine scored a shot barely inside the right post after Muriel made a foot save in the 28th minute. One goal down. It was Ojeda’s eleventh goal of the Major League Soccer season. He joins a select group of Lions who have scored 10 goals and assisted on 10 more in a single season. In addition to setting a club record, he scored in his eighth consecutive Major League Soccer game.
In the first half, Montreal managed just one shot, and it arrived immediately following Ojeda’s goal. In an attempt to catch Otero napping, Hennadii Synchuk took a long shot, which narrowly missed the right post.
After only one minute, Ojeda scored—but the referee ruled that he was offside. Ojeda was barely offside after Enrique set him up with a lovely through pass. The official’s on-field comments were corroborated by the video review.
Just five minutes after that, Montreal replicated the action. As time went on, the visitors scored upon a pass that Ojeda and Santos attempted in the left corner but failed to connect. It was a clear-cut case since Owusu beat Otero to the ball with a through pass, but he was just offside by a few yards. As the extra period began, Pasalic was awarded yet another free kick on the left wing. Brekalo, a Slovenian, missed the target with an attempt after receiving a risky cross from Ojeda at the back post.
Upon exiting the locker room, Montreal seemed a bit more energized than Orlando. This made it hard for the Lions to move. It wasn’t until the 50th minute that Orlando was awarded the ball. Once Freeman found some room on the left, he cut inside and sent a left-footed shot soaring over the crossbar.
Following that, Montreal had an abundance of offensive third free kicks. Although they failed to score, the visitors had a golden opportunity in the 55th minute when an incoming ball struck an opponent before Otero and landed into the penalty area. Schlegel dispelled the threat by swooping in on a plane. In the 58th minute, the Lions received the game’s first corner kick. They tried to play it short, but their offside was signaled.
After that, opportunities were few for a while. Neither side scored throughout that 15-minute period. Then, in the 73rd minute, Ivan Angulo’s attempt was partially saved. In the 81st minute, Montreal received its gift. Before Owusu could send the ball into the left area, Schlegel knocked him down. The forward from Montreal made a fantastic attempt to touch the ball. The location was indicated by Ramy Touchan. The game was tied in the 83rd minute when Owusu scored after a clumsy move by Otero caused him to stoop.
When New York City FC visits Inter&Co Stadium on Wednesday, the Lions will only have a single day off until their next match.
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