The Montreal Impact edged ahead of their Canadian rivals Toronto FC in the MLS Eastern Conference final on Tuesday night – but they had to wait for their victory.
The match was delayed 30 minutes after it was discovered that the penalty areas were two yards short of regulation size. That meant the lines had to be repainted.
That wasn’t all. After the game, Didier Drogba confirmed what many had suspected: that this season would be his last with the Impact. “Everyone knows it was my last game here. Now let’s focus on the semi-final,” he said.
Montreal Impact owner Joey Saputo admitted to ESPN that the incorrectly marked pitch was an embarrassment before such a big 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.”
Not something you see every day - match delayed because penalty box was painted too narrow. #MTLVTOR pic.twitter.com/tbY8158zob
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 23, 2016
The Impact finished 3-2 winners, but it could have been much better for the home team. Ambroise Oyongo’s solo run and shot put them 3-0 up after 53 minutes but Toronto clawed late goals back, thanks to Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore.
The second leg takes place next Wednesday in Toronto, where both teams are hoping to reach their first MLS Cup.
Asked about his future after Tuesday’s win, Drogba told reporters: “There’s still one or maybe two games to go. Next week’s game is more important than if it’s finished or not.”
Drogba, 38, has scored 21 league goals in two seasons in Canada.
In the Western semi-final, Seattle took a 2-1 lead over Colorado. Kevin Doyle had put the Rapids ahead in the 13th minutes, but Jordan Morris equalized six minutes later and Nicolas Lodeiro put the Sounders ahead from the penalty spot.
