Ruan scores header as CF Montreal defeats Atlanta United 1-0

CF Montreal's Ruan (22) reacts after scoring against Atlanta United during second half MLS soccer action in Montreal, Saturday, July 13, 2024. (Graham Hughes, The Canadian Press)

CF Montreal head coach Laurent Courtois wasn't pleased despite coming away with three crucial points Saturday night.

Brazilian wingback Ruan scored in the 51st minute as Montreal edged Atlanta United FC 1-0 in Major League Soccer play.

But Montreal wasn't able to take advantage of going up a man in the second half to put the game well out of reach, leaving Atlanta within one shot of equalizing.

"The truth is, it hurts tonight, I am really disappointed," Courtois said. "For us to give Atlanta the opportunity to hurt us, that's unacceptable -- in terms of collective management and especially in the ego of some of us who forgot what point in the match we were in, what point in the season we are in.

"I was very disappointed on that level."

Montreal (6-9-8) extended its home undefeated streak to seven games, earning its third win over that stretch.

The decisive goal came as Raheem Edwards floated a perfectly weighted cross to the far right post before Ruan headed the ball across goal and into the net as a sold-out Saputo Stadium crowd of 19,619 fans erupted.

Atlanta (6-11-6) then went down to 10 men in the 55th minute as Stian Gregersen earned a red card with his second yellow of the night drawn by Ruan.

From there, Montreal struggled to put the game out of reach due to poor transition with the ball and certain players trying to be a hero, Courtois said without naming names.

"You want to force things just because you want to be the main character to score, you want to be the protagonist, the hero when we need to win, not you to score your goal," Courtois said.

"It was frustrating for me that we were more busy forcing something that was not there, when we could have killed when it was obvious, and then giving the opposition opportunities that were not there in the first place."

The win, however, pushed Montreal up to 10th in a tight Eastern Conference -- two points ahead of Atlanta in the standings.

For that reason, the players were happy to walk away with three points despite agreeing with Courtois' assessment.

"I think we did the job," goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois said. "We came out with three points at a point in the season when each point is vital. So I'm a little more satisfied -- especially from a defensive point of view -- than disappointed right now."

Down a man, Atlanta winger Saba Lobjanidze made a great run in the 70th and nearly deked Montreal's Joaquin Sosa but had his shot blocked.

Josef Martinez and Ruan had consecutive golden opportunities to put the game away in the 75th.

Substitute Mason Toye laid a pass to a wide-open Martinez in the middle of the box, but Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan stopped the Venezuelan striker. The ball fell to Ruan with a gaping net but he sailed his touch over the net.

Jules-Anthony Vilsaint created a chance of his own after coming on as a substitute. He beat his defender down the left flank to go on a break, yet Guzan once again shut the door. Vilsaint later set up Mason Toye for a chance Guzan tipped over the bar.

"We had the opportunity to secure ourselves with a second or third goal, but we didn't do it," Courtois said. "We were very naive up a man and with the lead. In the last half-hour, we could have paid for it, so it hurts."

Montreal held 64 per cent of the possession and attempted seven shots on target to none for Atlanta.

The visitors dropped their fourth straight in all competitions, including a surprise 2-1 defeat to lower-tier Indy Eleven in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals Tuesday.

The home side put the pressure on from the beginning as Ruan swung a ball into the box that Kwadwo Opoku nearly got a foot on in the second minute.

Edwards created an opening in the 33rd minute for Montreal's best chance of the first half. He twisted and turned on the left side of the box to deke a defender, but Guzan made a solid save on his shot toward the top corner.

"We made an emphasis to start off the first half good because usually at home we're a really good second-half team," Edwards said. "We wanted to stay consistent throughout the 90 minutes, I thought we did for the most part. Up a man, didn't feel like it towards the last 20 minutes, pretty disappointing.

"But these are games where you take the three points no matter what."

Up next

Montreal: Visits New York Red Bulls on Wednesday.

Atlanta: Hosts New York City FC on Wednesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 13, 2024.