The Montreal Impact lost 4-3 to the Colorado Rapids on Saturday night in front of 20,383 spectators at Stade Saputo. In the loss, striker Daniele Paponi counted twice and defender Hassoun Camara scored a spectacular goal.
The Impact, which lost its first at home this season in nine games, remains atop of the Eastern Conference, three points in front of the Philadelphia Union.
The home team conceded the first goal of the game in the 24th minute. A free-kick from about 35 yards out by midfielder Dillon Powers found Atiba Harris just inside the box. Harris rose over the defenders and headed the ball over Perkins, into the top right corner as the Impact keeper dove to his left.
Defender Hassoun Camara tied things up in the 38th minute. Following a corner kick from the left side, Rapids goalkeeper Clint Irwin was knocked to the ground in a scramble for the ball that bounced around before Camara, from the seat of his pants, scored a sensational goal as he juggled the ball once before using a half-bicycle from near the short side post for his second of the season.
The Impact took the lead in the 42nd minute when Marco Di Vaio – making his 30th career appearance in MLS – found fellow striker Daniele Paponi with a short ball near the top of the box. Paponi turned towards the inside from the left side of goal and curled it towards the top right corner for his first career goal in MLS.
Colorado found an equalizer in the 59th minute when midfielder Nathan Sturgis played a low, lateral cross into the box from the right-side touchline that found Dillon Powers inside the box. The Rapids’ rookie midfielder one-timed his shot just inside the short side post.
The Impact went ahead once again in the 72nd minute. Felipe switched the ball from the right flank to Davy Arnaud, making his first start since April 27 following a concussion. Arnaud chased the ball towards the goal line and while sliding to keep it in bounds, played a low ball into the box that found Paponi who slid onto the ball to push it past the keeper.
The back and forth continued in the 77th minute as the Rapids levelled it yet again when Deshorn Brown, left all alone in the box, one-timed the ball from point blank range after running on to a Christopher Klute cross.
The Rapids took back the lead for good in the final seconds of extra time when a counter attack led to a 2-on-1. Midfielder Patrice Bernier managed to break up the pass across the top of the box, but the rebound fell to the Rapids Tony Cascio, who took one touch before firing a shot that deflected off of an Impact defender into the back of the net.
With 20,383 spectators, the Impact welcomed the best crow of the season, just 138 people shy of a sellout.
