Noah Streit's Stunner Sinks Columbus 2-1, Ending CF Montréal's Eight-Game Winless Streak

CF Montréal had spent most of the second half absorbing Columbus Crew possession when the break finally came. In the 78th minute, Montréal broke quickly, Brayan Vera found Noah Streit outside the box, and Streit hit a right-footed rocket into the top right corner. It was, according to CF Montréal, his first goal for the club. Fans liked it enough to vote it second in MLS Goal of the Matchday balloting.

That strike gave CF Montréal a 2-1 win over the Columbus Crew on Wednesday night at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field. Prince Owusu had opened the scoring in the fifth minute, a Thomas Gillier own goal pulled Columbus level in the 20th, and Streit settled it. The result ended an eight-game winless streak for Montréal, as mlssoccer.com noted, and left the two clubs level at 5-5-10 with 20 points apiece.

A Fast Start and a Gift Back

Montréal wasted no time. Rudy Camacho was booked in the third minute, Hennadii Synchuk tested Schulte from distance in the fourth, and a minute later Synchuk slid a through ball to Owusu, who finished from the middle of the box into the bottom right corner. CF Montréal said it was Synchuk's first MLS assist.

Columbus had to reshuffle early when Camacho went off injured in the 14th minute, with Cesar Ruvalcaba taking his place. Patrick Schulte kept the deficit at one with a save on Matty Longstaff in the 16th, and four minutes later the Crew were level when Gillier, the Montréal goalkeeper, was credited with an own goal.

The rest of the half was choppy. Jalen Neal headed wide from a set piece in the 30th and needed treatment right after, André Gomes picked up a yellow card in the 34th, and Dylan Chambost sent Columbus' only attempt of the half high and wide in the 41st. It was 1-1 at the break.

Schulte vs. Everybody

The second half opened with Montréal throwing punches and Schulte blocking every one. Dani Pereira forced a save in the 51st. Owusu headed over from a corner in the 52nd, then forced Schulte into another save with a shot from outside the box in the 53rd. Longstaff's header in the 54th went straight at the keeper. Three saves in four minutes, zero goals.

Columbus went to the bench in the 56th, bringing on Josef Martínez and Andrés Herrera, and Montréal answered with Victor Loturi for Synchuk. The Crew had the ball for long stretches, but they kept running into offside flags and a crowded box. Chambost finally drew a save out of Gillier in the 66th with a left-footed effort from distance, and Streit, at the other end, pulled a shot wide from the middle of the box in the 73rd.

Five minutes later, Streit got another look and did not miss. Montréal immediately took him and Owusu off, sending on Daniel Ríos and Alexis Sánchez, who made his CF Montréal debut, according to the club.

Columbus threw everything at the finish. In a frantic sequence during the first minute of stoppage time, Ruvalcaba headed wide, Sean Zawadzki headed wide and then had a shot blocked, and Herrera fired just past the post. Montréal survived a late stoppage for an injury to Gillier and saw out the rest of stoppage time.

The Difference Makers

Noah Streit took three shots and scored the one that mattered. He had a shot blocked from a tight angle in the 59th and pulled another wide in the 73rd before he finally found the corner. A first goal for a new club rarely looks that clean.

Prince Owusu was a menace from the jump, putting two of his three shots on target and scoring once.

Hennadii Synchuk delivered the pass of the night for the opener, and Brayan Vera turned defense into offense for the winner. Both were credited with assists.

Matty Longstaff was Montréal's busiest midfielder with four shots, two on target, before a late yellow card.

Patrick Schulte deserves better than a loss on his record. He made five saves, three of them in a four-minute stretch early in the second half, and kept Columbus in a game it never really controlled despite all that possession.

The Turning Point

Montréal's early second-half barrage did not produce a goal, but it told the story of the night. Columbus had the ball; Montréal had the chances. When Montréal broke in the 78th minute, Streit punished them. Columbus finished with six shots to Montréal's 14, and only two of its attempts were on target. Brais Méndez, one of the Crew's two starting forwards, did not register a shot at all.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: CF Montréal 14 (7 on target), Columbus 6 (2 on target).
• Possession: Columbus 61.8 percent, Montréal 38.2 percent.
• Passes: Columbus attempted 663 to Montréal's 406.
• Saves: Schulte 5, Gillier 1.
• Clearances: Montréal 30, Columbus 15.

Breathing Room in Montréal, Questions in Columbus

CF Montréal improved to 5-5-10 with 20 points and won for the first time since a 2-0 home win over Orlando City on May 9. Montréal hosts the LA Galaxy at Stade Saputo on Saturday.

Columbus fell to 5-5-10 with 20 points and has lost two straight after a 3-1 defeat at Charlotte on Saturday. Both times, the Crew fell behind early. "But the last two games we concede like very early, so to give confidence to the other team," defender Steven Moreira said, per the club. The schedule does not get kinder: Columbus visits Nashville on Saturday, then heads to California to face Club América in a Leagues Cup quarterfinal before hosting the New England Revolution on Aug. 29.

Pressure Reveals Character

Interim head coach Laurent Courtois did not sound like a man hunting for excuses. "I learn a lot about people when they are having a struggle," he said. "Are they going to step back or are they going to lose their mind?" Columbus is about to find out. Montréal, meanwhile, just found its answer.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by the Columbus Crew (columbuscrew.com). Match notes from CF Montréal (cfmontreal.com) and mlssoccer.com.