CF Montréal Falls Short in Feisty Battle Against Puebla
Well, it was a tough night at Stade Saputo for CF Montréal as their journey in the Leagues Cup came to an end with a 2-1 loss to Mexico’s Club Puebla. Despite a valiant effort and flashes of brilliance, especially considering they played most of the match one man down, the home team just couldn’t hold on.
The turning point came pretty early on — only 23 minutes into the game — when defender Joel Waterman was shown a straight red card for pushing an opposing player in the penalty area. That foul handed Puebla a penalty kick, but Montréal’s goalkeeper Thomas Gillier came to the rescue with a fantastic save against Emiliano Gomez. That kept the match level at 0-0 heading into halftime, and even with ten men, the energy from the home side was palpable.
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Coming out of the break, Montréal didn’t waste any time. Just two minutes into the second half, Caden Clark forced a turnover deep in Puebla territory and sent a pinpoint pass to Prince Owusu, who slotted it home to give the crowd something to cheer about. It was one of those moments that gave a glimpse of the fight and heart this team still has — even under pressure.
But Puebla, to their credit, didn’t back down. They kept pressing, and in the 58th minute, Emiliano Gomez, who had been denied earlier, finally got his goal. Just moments before that, Puebla had rattled the post — a clear sign that Montréal's defense was hanging on by a thread. Then, at the 73rd minute, Ricardo Marín capitalized on a cross right in front of goal to give Puebla the lead, which they wouldn’t relinquish.
There was still a flicker of hope when Montréal came close to equalizing — a shot that kissed the post in the dying moments — but luck just wasn’t on their side. And the drama didn’t stop there. Backup goalkeeper Sébastian Breza was shown a red card from the sidelines for arguing with the ref after a Puebla goal was disallowed. In added time, Puebla’s Raúl Castillo was also sent off, finally restoring numerical balance, but it was too little, too late.
With just two points from the group stage — one shootout win and two losses — CF Montréal has been officially eliminated from the tournament. It’s a disappointing end, but considering the circumstances and the challenges this squad has faced, there were still moments that showed grit, passion, and a will to compete.
While the results aren’t quite there yet, if Montréal continues to build on this mindset, there’s still something to look forward to as the season continues.
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