Gjertsen scores as Impact beats Nicaraguan team in CONCACAF Champions League
Published Thursday August 28th, 2008
MONTREAL - The Montreal Impact got the victory, but their CONCACAF Champion League series with Real Esteli FC is far from over.
Joey Gjertsen scored in the 42nd minute as the Montreal Impact defeated the Nicaraguan side 1-0 in a mistake-filled first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League series at Saputo Stadium on Wednesday night.
Montreal will take its one-goal lead into the second leg of the series, which is to be played Sept. 2 at Carlos Miranda Stadium in Comayagua, Honduras, because Nicaragua doesn't have a venue that meets FIFA standards.
The Impact forced numerous give-aways from the smaller Nicaraguans, but converted only one in a jittery match, wasting a chance to take a stranglehold on the two-game, total goals series.
"It's not a great result at home when you should have done better," said Impact defender Nevio Pizzolitto. "We gave away the ball way too much in the second half.
"A bit of lack of concentration could have cost us the game. But we won and if we play well defensively down there, there's no reason we shouldn't win."
The Impact were the better team for most of the match, controlling the ball in the midfield and creating chances, but the decisive passes were frequently misplayed and glittering opportunities slipped away.
Real Esteli caused hearts to jump among the announced sellout crowd of 13,034 when Sergio Rodriguez placed a free kick into the box that was pushed just wide of the Montreal goal in the 53rd minute.
And a turnover at midfield by Patrick Leduc led to two Real Esteli shots in the 84th, the latter blasted just over the bar by Samuel Israel Wilson.
"I think we showed we're the better team when we moved the ball around, but it wasn't our best game," added Pizzolitto. "The ball just kept bobbling up on us.
"Whether it was nerves or not, I don't know."
The series now moves to Central America, where a hostile crowd awaits and the Nicaraguans will feel more at ease. And two of their top players, defender Chanel Norales and midfielder Elmer Mejia, are Honduran.
"We think that control of the play was even," said Real Esteli coach Otoniel Rivas. "We had chances in the second half and didn't score.
"But we didn't show all we have. I think we'll do better in the home leg."
Gjertsen had missed a chance from the edge of the penalty area in the 24th minute and another when he was in too tight in the 29th before he found the goal.
A long, arced pass from Leo Di Lorenzo into the front of the net was misplayed by an Esteli defender onto the foot of Gjertsen, who put a low blast from 25 yards inside the left post.
Both Impact substitutions in the second half were for strikers - Severino Jefferson and Peter Byers - as they pressed for goals to pad their lead.
Jefferson was in clear in the 85th minute, but goalkeeper Carlos Reynaldo slid out to make the save.
Impact coach John Limniatis was fuming after the game, both at his own team's mistakes and those of the Jamaican officials. He was particularly upset that only three minutes of injury time was added in the second half when there were five substitutions and the stretcher was out twice for injuries.
"I saw lots of amateur situations - from the men in white (the Impact), red and white (Real Esteli) and yellow and black (the officials)," said Limniatis, adding that refs should also have to explain their performances to the media.
"But a win is a win. The 1-0 is better than it seems because it forces them to win a game, and if we can score an away goal it could be a huge advantage for us."
The winner of the series advances to the 16-team group stage to be played between Sept. 15 and Oct. 30. The top two teams from each of four groups move on to the quarter-finals in February.
The Impact advanced to the Champions League by winning the Nutrilite Canadian Championship against the Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC, clinching the spot with a 1-1 draw on July 22 in Toronto.
Real Esteli, a seven-time Nicaraguan champion that has finished in the top five in its league every season since 1986, earned its berth by beating rival Deportivo Walter Ferreti 1-0 on aggregate in a two-game series in July.
Montreal's Sandro Grande left the match late in the first half with a bruised ankle and was replaced by Leduc.
David Testo and Gason Gregory were shown yellow cards for the Impact, while Juan Pablo Chacon and Franklin Lopez were cautioned for Real Esteli.
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