MONTREAL: A second-half goal by Cameroon defender Ambroise Oyongo gave the Montreal Impact a 3-2 victory over Toronto FC Tuesday in the first leg of their Major League Soccer semi-final playoff matchup.
A sellout crowd of more than 60,000 at Montreal's Olympic stadium waited through a 40-minute delay to repaint the mismarked penalty areas, watched the host Impact seize a three-goal edge only to have Toronto FC rally in the closing minutes.
The second leg will be played November 30 with the aggregate winner taking the Eastern Conference crown and a berth in the December 10 MLS Cup final against either the Seattle Sounders or Colorado Rapids.
Montreal, which beat Toronto 3-0 last year in the knockout round of the MLS playoffs, jumped ahead in the 10th minute on a goal by Dominic Oduro.
Impact captain Patrice Bernier, a Canadian midfielder, fired a perfect pass to an in-stride Oduro racing down the right wing and the 31-year-old Ghana striker blasted the ball past Toronto goalkeeper Clint Irwin.
In the 12th minute, Montreal struck again as Argentine forward Ignacio Piatti left footed a centering pass to Italian striker Matteo Mancosu, who fired it from the heart of the penalty area into the back of the net.
Oyongo, 25, made it 3-0 in the 53rd minute. He took the ball just inside his own half of the pitch, dribbled with no pressure to the top of the Toronto penalty area and unleashed a left-footed blast into the far left corner of the net.
The visitors finally answered on a header in the 68th minute by Jozy Altidore, the US forward nodding home his 14th goal in his past 18 club matches.
US midfielder Michael Bradley lifted Toronto within 3-2 in the 73rd minute, aided by a centering flick from Altidore and a set-up flick by Tosaint Ricketts before his right-footed smash.
Didier Drogba, the 38-year-old Ivory Coast forward who starred at Chelsea, entered in the 71st minute to cheers but was thwarted twice in the dying minutes.
Officials delayed the start after the width of the penalty areas was found to be about two metres too small on each side, the wrong marks on the articifical turf painted over in green and new ones painted down in white -- fans literally watching paint dry instead of football.
"We're somewhat embarrassed," Montreal Impact owner Joey Saputo said. "It's our fault. It's unfortunate this happened."
The team moved the match from its usual home stadium, three times smaller in seating capacity, to the 40-year-old Summer Games venue in order to meet huge ticket demand.
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