Prince Owusu scored twice in the second half to lead CF Montréal to a 3-1 victory over FC Cincinnati on Saturday, snapping a five-game losing skid in MLS. The breakthrough at Stade Saputo halted a difficult stretch for Montréal, which improved its home record to four wins, five losses, and five draws.
Breaking the Stalemate
Montréal opened the scoring in the 25th minute through Daniel Rios. Dawid Bugaj delivered a cross into the penalty area that was deflected by Teenage Hadebe, allowing Rios to meet the loose ball with a sharp volley past the visiting defense. The strike marked Rios’s fifth goal of the campaign for the hosts. Cincinnati pressed for an equalizer, and Evander squandered a close-range scoring chance near the edge of the goal area roughly twelve minutes later. Right before halftime, a dangerous cross from Owusu nearly picked out Rios in front of the net, but the Cincinnati backline intervened just in time.
Second-Half Turnaround and Owusu’s Brace
Cincinnati found an equalizer in the 64th minute when Tom Barlow finished off a well-constructed sequence initiated by Evander, with Gerardo Valenzuela redirecting the ball toward the right post for Barlow to tap home. The parity lasted only six minutes. At the 70th minute mark, Owusu restored Montréal’s lead from the penalty spot after a risky challenge by Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano. Owusu executed a subtle feint before sliding a low shot past the American goalkeeper’s right side. Five minutes later, Owusu capitalized on a defensive miscue by Nick Hagglund to net his 15th goal of the season.
Squad Deplections and Standings Context
Both rosters dealt with significant absences due to international call-ups. Cincinnati played without their leading goalscorer Kevin Denkey, who has tallied 14 goals this year, contributing to an ongoing slide that leaves the visitors without a win in their last six MLS fixtures, including recent heavy away defeats of 4-0 and 5-0. Meanwhile, CF Montréal managed the fixture without several regulars, including Wiki Carmona, Dani Pereira, Olger Escobar, Hennadii Synchuk, Dante Sealy, and Efrain Morales.
Next Fixture
CF Montréal returns to action on October 10 for a match against Toronto, looking to build momentum off the weekend result.
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