Football: Drogba strikes as Montreal advances
Ignacio Piatti burst clear from deep before releasing Patrice Bernier
MONTREAL (AFP) - Former Chelsea star Didier Drogba kept up his incredible scoring record as Montreal Impact cruised past Toronto FC 3-0 to advance to the conference semi-finals of the MLS Cup here on Thursday.
Ivory Coast international Drogba bagged his 12th goal in 12 games since signing for Montreal in July after finally calling time on his career with Chelsea in the English Premier League.
The 37-year-old scored Montreal s third with a straightforward tap-in at the far post on 39 minutes to effectively seal victory in the all-Canada clash.
It capped a superb week for Drogba, who on Wednesday had named the MLS Player of the Month for a second straight month in recognition of his goalscoring form for Impact, whose fortunes have been transformed since his arrival.
Montreal had been battling for a playoff berth when Drogba arrived but made it into the post-season thanks to the Ivorian s goals.
He had scored twice in for the Impact against Toronto on Sunday, ensuring Montreal finished as third seed in the Eastern Conference.
On Thursday Montreal wasted no time in asserting their superiority over Toronto once more, taking the lead on 18 minutes after a superbly worked counter-attack.
Ignacio Piatti burst clear from deep before releasing Patrice Bernier, who timed his run to perfection to go through on goal.
The veteran Canada international picked his spot before calmly finishing beneath advancing Toronto goalkeeper Chris Konopka.
Piatti doubled the Montreal lead on 33 minutes, gathering the ball on the edge of the area, holding off his marker and firing a low shot into the bottom right-hand corner of the goal.
Victory was all but assured six minutes before halftime when Drogba scored, sweeping home at the back post after Bernier crossed from the right flank.
