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The former Harambee Stars captain was delighted to see his side record another win to move higher up the table
Former Harambee Stars captain Victor Wanyama has expressed his delight after seeing his side record a sixth consecutive win following FC Montreal’s 2-0 victory over local rivals Toronto in the MLS on Sunday morning in what was the side’s 30th anniversary celebrations.
Wanyama, who captains FC Montreal, played a key role in midfield as the Canadian side edged their rivals in the Canadian Classique for the victory which has seen them move to seventh on the 15-team Eastern Conference table, following a great run of form.
After Tuesday’s Canadian Classique was marred by fights in the stands, the commotion on Sunday took place on the pitch, winger Lassi Lappalainen and striker Chinonso Offor scoring as CF Montreal beat Toronto for the second time this week.
“Canadian Classique win. Three massive points earned and of course the fans are happy. CF Montreal,” Wanyama said via a Facebook post on Sunday.
The rivalry between the two sides, however, still extended on Sunday as a scrum broke out between both teams moments after the final whistle blew.
“It’s a rivalry,” said Lappalainen, as quoted by Canadian outlet TSN. “I don't know exactly what happened, but there's a lot of emotions.”
With Toronto head coach Bob Bradley and Montreal coach Hernan Losada appearing to argue during their post-game handshake, Toronto winger Richie Laryea stepped in, Montreal striker Romell Quioto followed and both benches cleared. Amid the pushing and shoving, Quioto at one point appeared to throw a punch.
The confrontation generated from an incident in the 56th minute, with Montreal up 1-0, when Losada intervened while Toronto winger Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty took his time giving the ball to Montreal for a throw-in.
With Losada coming toward him, Marshall-Rutty threw the ball down the sideline and received a second yellow card to put Toronto down a man.
Montreal have now won six consecutive matches in all competitions, having managed just one in six games prior to that and their good form has seen them move from bottom of the table to seventh.
The club celebrated the franchise’s 30th anniversary with a ceremony on the pitch at halftime. Montreal, then known as the Impact, played its inaugural season in the American Professional Soccer League in 1993 and its first MLS season in 2012. The franchise rebranded to become CF Montreal in January 2021.
Montreal closed the visiting supporters’ section at Stade Saputo for Sunday’s match after fights between Toronto FC and Montreal fans broke out in the BMO Field stands during the Canadian Championship quarterfinal on Tuesday.
Wanyama and co have tough away matches next, visiting FC Cincinnati on Wednesday before taking on New York Red Bulls in the ‘Big Apple’ on Saturday.
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