Montreal Impact have not exactly had the best seasons in the American Major League Soccer (MLS). They are currently fifth in the Eastern Conference – 10 points behind leaders New York Red Bulls. And their frustrations soon boiled over after a 1-0 loss to the conference leaders who had Daniel Royer score the winner.
The 1-0 result was the Impact’s third loss in the last four fixtures. They had previously lost to Orlando City in a 4-1 thrashing and also lost 3-1 to New England Revolution. Their last win had come against Toronto at the end of August.
Their turn in fortunes has also coincided with former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba’s drought of sorts. In the last nine fixtures, he has scored only two goals and has also been sent off once. And he was at the receiving end of a couple of New York Red Bulls fans’ ire after the full-time whistle.
Stadium security had to intervene and separate Drogba from the two fans as his teammate Matteo Mancuso also jumped to his defence. After Drogba had cooled down and retreated into the tunnel, he could be seen apologising to another set of fans on the other side of the tunnel.
Speaking to a television reporter after the game, Drogba explained that the culprit was a little too enthusiastic after the win and overstepped his boundaries when Drogba walked by.
“There were two fans who were showing their enthusiasm a little too much,” the Ivorian striker said. “They crossed the line a bit, that’s all.”
Another reporter from Quebec who witnessed the incident also described what he saw on Twitter. “Didier Drogba was angry at very loud and disrespectful RB supporters. His security guard had trouble with them.”