Sometimes a game can turn as quick as a referee heading back to the video review board for a second look.
That’s what happened in the 90th minute Saturday, when the Union saw Montreal have a game-tying goal scored, wiped away, then reinstated by VAR, on the way to a 3-2 Union loss North of the border.
It befitted the chaos of a game – manager Jim Curtin called it “a crazy game from Minute 1,” among other less printable critiques – which featured a penalty kick by Montreal in the second minute and a pair of yellow cards to Julian Carranza. That allowed Chinoso Offor’s goal in the 90th minute to stand, and then for Romell Quioto to rise over Olivier Mbiazo in the eighth minute of stoppage time to give Montreal (1-3-0, 3 points) its first win of the season.
The Union (2-2-0, 6 points) were playing catchup from the second minute on, when a goal-bound shot hit the arm of Jakob Glesnes. Referee Nima Sagafi correctly – and without assistance – pointed to the spot, and Quioto blasted home the first goal for Montreal on the season.
The Union fought their way back in. It was building all through the first half, testing reserve goalie Jonathan Sirois early and often. Mikael Uhre cashed in just 90 seconds into the second with his first goal of the season from the top of the box, Daniel Gazdag getting the assist. Uhre made it three on the hour-mark, Gazdag freeing him into space down the left wing for the Dane to bury a shot.
But Carranza, who was red-carded in Montreal at the beginning of last season, picked up yellows in the 58th and 69th minutes. The Union stood firm, with Andres Perea and Damion Lowe stepping up to help turn away the hosts in an uncharacteristically chaotic finish.
It escalated when Offor headed home on the doorstep on the 90th minute to tie it, first to a ricochet off the crossbar from a header by Mathieu Choinere. It was originally allowed as a goal, then wiped off by VAR, then the erasure was erased (correctly, Curtin acknowledged) with Kai Wagner keeping Offor offside in what was apparently originally off-screen to the far.
“I’ve never seen anything like that in my life,” Curtin said.
He also didn’t see the Union do much of what they did next, which was have a stoppage-time letdown, Quioto rising to meet at Choinere header in the eighth minute and pump home the winner.
Source: Berkshire mont
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