Montreal impact was finally able to win over their Canadian rivals, Toronto FC Tuesday night in the MLS Eastern Conference final after the match was delayed for about 30 minutes.
This was due to a discovery that the penalty areas fell two yards short of the normal regulation size. Thus, the lines had to be repainted before the match could be continued.
Joey Saputo, the owner of Montreal Impact had admitted to ESPN that it was such an embarrassment to have discovered the incorrectly marked pitch before the game.
“Obviously, it’s the first time that it’s happened to us. We’ve been in situations like this before where we have 61,000 fans. We had the [Concacaf] Champions League final here,” Saputo said.
“It’s the responsibility of the referees to check it out. Unfortunately the referees got here a little bit late, whether it was traffic or traffic around the stadium. So it’s unfortunate, but we have to take the responsibility for it. It’s our fault and it’s unfortunate that this has happened.”
The game which finished on a 3-2 win for Impact, could have been a better game, as the team had started out fine, after a solo run from Ambroise Oyongo had put them up to 3-0. They were unable to hold their line which saw Toronto claw back two late goals through strikes from Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore.
Montreal striker Didier Drogba has confirmed after the match that it would be his last game with Impact,
“Everyone knows it was my last game here. Now let’s focus on the semi-final,” he had said.
The second leg of the MLS Football Eastern Conference finals would take place in Toronto, and the both teams are hoping to get to their first ever MLS Cup.