Montreal Impact 3-0 Toronto FC: Impact dominant over Canadian rival 
A nightmare first half by TFC led to a rout by the Impact on a chilly night in Montreal. MONTREAL — The Montreal Impact rode a dominant first half to rout archrival Toronto FC 3-0 on Thursday in the MLS Eastern Conference knockout round. First-half strikes by Patrice Bernier, Ignacio Piatti and Didier Drogba were enough to put the sword to a TFC side playing in its first-ever playoff match. The teams traded attacks over the first quarter-hour, but the home side enjoyed a slight advantage in possession.
Both Evan Bush and Chris Konopka were required to make some early saves to keep their respective sides from conceding, but the Impact finally broke through in the 18th minute when Bernier was sent in alone on goal.
The Montreal native, playing far more advanced than usual, calmly slid the ball under the onrushing TFC goalkeeper to send Stade Saputo into raptures.
The goal energized the home side, and Montreal kept Toronto on the back foot for lengthy spells until the second goal. In the 33rd minute, a routine back pass turned into a nightmare for TFC, as defender Josh Williams slipped at the top of the TFC 18-yard box, allowing the slow-rolling ball to reach Piatti. The Argentine deftly turned Williams before striking far side to double the Impact lead.
Toronto's nightmare continued less than 10 minutes later when Bernier had a point-blank shot saved off the line by Justin Morrrow, but the Impact midfielder managed to retain possession inside the TFC area before chipping the ball over to a wide open Drogba for the easy goal.
The Impact headed into the halftime break with a dominating three-goal lead, with TFC desperate for ideas to save its season.
Out of necessity, Toronto entered the second half with much more of an attacking formation. Bush was called into action early after the break when Sebastian Giovinco hit a 25-yard free kick on frame, with the Montreal 'keeper doing extremely well to parry the ball out and keep the clean sheet for the home side.
That was the story for the rest of the match, as Montreal was content to sit back absorb pressure from a TFC side that had no answers on the night. For their part, the Impact nearly caught the visitors on the counterattack, with Piatti coming closest with an effort from distance ringing the goal post in the dying minutes.
With the result, Montreal advances to the Eastern Conference semifinals, a home-and-home series against the Columbus Crew that kicks off at Stade Saputo on Sunday.
http://www.goal.com/en-us/match/montreal-impact-vs-toronto/2165564/report
