Suarez penalty gives short-staffed Miami 1-0 win in Montreal

MONTREAL – CF Montreal’s offence has hit a brick wall.

After the arrival of Philippe Eullaffroy as interim head coach, a new life was injected into the attack as the Major League Soccer club scored in eight of the nine matches leading into the World Cup break.

Since then, Montreal hasn’t scored in the last three MLS matches. The slump is costing the squad points it cannot afford to drop if it wants to stay relevant in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

“(It can be frustrating) when you’re not winning, and you’re not scoring when you have the opportunity to score. I want them to know that we’re proud of them the way they played the last two games,” said coach Eullaffroy. “But they need to be conscious of why we’re missing the chances we’re missing. It’s a mix of positive and negative feelings.”

Once again Montreal was unable to capitalize on some superb scoring chances in addition to the absence of Inter Miami stars Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul, losing 1-0 at Stade Saputo on Saturday night.

Luis Suárez’ converted a penalty kick in the 81st minute as Miami (11-2-4) has now won six consecutive road games, keeping Montreal (4-10-3) winless in its last six MLS matches.

Montreal came out of the gate firing on all cylinders and caught Miami off guard, allowing them to control much of the ball and even produce a golden opportunity that inexplicably did not put the hosts ahead.

After being played in behind the defence, Prince Owusu sent a perfect low cross to Daniel Rios, who was staring down a wide-open net. However, he mishit the ball and helplessly watched the effort go wide.

“The engagement, the willingness, and the respect of the game plan are all there. We’re just missing that efficiency in the final third, and I think in the first 15 to 20 minutes we should have scored at least one,” said Eullaffroy.

“It’s something that we need to work on, and it won’t happen overnight, but it’s currently costing us points.”

That miss did not dampen Montreal’s control as just two minutes later it was Hennadii Synchuk’s turn to test Miami goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo. Another Owusu cross found Synchuk at the near post as the Ukrainian youth international’s spectacular backheel was stopped by Ríos Novo’s outstretched hand.

It took Miami roughly 20 minutes to finally get into the game and set their own rhythm in possession. While they could not create many chances, Telasco Segovia sent a powerful shot off the crossbar right before halftime.

Montreal started the second half with a similar energy that was seen during the opening stage. Unfortunately for the hosts, the lack of finishing quality carried over as well. Owusu was played through on goal with only the keeper to beat, but a single hesitation was enough for Rios Novo to come off his line and stop the ball.

“It’s frustrating to play well and have interesting ideas, but we just have that finishing and that goal as what’s missing,” said captain Samuel Piette. “For me, it changes the narrative of the work and the performance. Right now, we’re focused on ‘we’re not scoring, we’re not creating many chances, we can’t finish them,’ but on the other hand the very solid defensive work gets forgotten.”

In the 70th minute, all the air was sucked out of the stadium when Germán Berterame and Efrain Morales’ heads made contact and Berterame was knocked unconscious, requiring removal by ambulance.

Berterame is now conscious in hospital and showing positive signs, according to Eullaffroy.

The contact was ruled a foul, and Miami was awarded a penalty, which Suarez dispatched down the middle of the goal. Montreal was unable to mount a comeback in the dying stages of the match, highlighting another game where a lack of finish in the final third resulted in dropped points.

“I think there are two or three players we expect to have come in very soon and we are impatiently awaiting them,” said Eullaffroy, who admitted he has provided the front office with certain demands for players. “The grocery list is done, and I’m counting on crossing out some items very soon.”

With the summer transfer window open, they have already strengthened the midfield and the backline with important inter-MLS acquisitions — something for which they have become notoriously effective — but will now be forced to turn their attention toward bringing in more attacking strength.

UP NEXT

Inter Miami: Hosts the Columbus Crew on Saturday, Aug. 1.

CF Montreal: Hosts the New England Revolution on Saturday, Aug. 1.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2026.