Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba celebrated Victor Wanyama’s second-half goal in their 3-2 win against D.C. United on Sunday.
Wanyama scored the second goal that counted big for Montreal Impact, who finally sealed a playoffs place on 'decision day', while Bojan Krkic and Romell Quioto were the other scorers.
In a tweet replying to Montreal Impact’s post on Wanyama’s goal, the former Ivory Coast striker expressed his elation with a ‘Goooaaallllll’ statement.
Gooooaaaaaalllllll🖤💙
— Didier Drogba (@didierdrogba) November 8, 2020
Drogba played for the Canadian side from 2015 to 2016 and scored 21 goals in 33 matches.
Wanyama’s goal and Drogba’s celebrations all came as Uganda left-back Mustafa Kizza made his Montreal Impact debut.
Montreal Impact's manager Thierry Henry was elated by the spirit of his team despite poor performances in the last three matches.
“We always needed to fight, we did it and we didn’t give up,” Henry said after the match.
“Could we have clinched before? Yes of course. But we did it, away from home, down at halftime against a team that was hot at the moment and we needed to fight for it.”
The Frenchman also felt for D.C. United who were defeated at their own turf.
"We deserve this win but I’d like to tip my hat to this D.C. United team that came back from far. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get through and it worked out for us,” he stated.
“The thing that comes back for me is that this group suffered a lot this year. And to have something to look at and say at least we’re in the playoffs and let’s see what can happen next is very good.”
A draw would have helped D.C. United seal the playoffs slot but a late goal by Quioto broke their hearts in the 88th minute.
“It’s obviously heartbreaking,” D.C. United interim Chad Ashton manager said.
“We’ve been decimated by injuries all year, and I give the group such great credit for showing such character to hang in there and find a way to get us to today.
“The group is going to be fine moving forward. It shows great character. It’s the building blocks of a foundation that creates culture. These guys are still in the process of creating that culture, but I believe the group took a lot of steps toward creating that.”
The win saw Montreal Impact get back in the playoffs for the first time since qualifying for the Eastern Conference final in 2016.