Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore score as Toronto FC defeat rivals Montreal Impact

Toronto FC kept its playoff hopes burning brightly Saturday, picking up all three points against bitter rivals Montreal Impact in a 401 Derby match at BMO Field, despite losing its star man in Italian forward Sebastian Giovinco to injury in the second half.

Goals from U.S. international duo Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore cemented the result for the home side, though not without some shaky moments near the end of the match when Dominic Oduro brought the Impact back within one.

(Courtesy: Toronto FC)

To say Oduro's goal was well-earned might be an understatement as the Ghanaian forward missed a number of chances, including an early open net chance he shot wide.

Toronto suffered an early injury problem, French midfielder Benoit Cheyrou came off with a knock and was replaced by Altidore, starting the game on the bench.

But, not to be deterred by the loss, Bradley gave the Reds the lead in the 35th minute, Giovinco sending a pass out to Jonathan Osorio out wide. The Canadian midfielder sent in a low cross into Bradley in the box and the TFC captain buried the effort.

(Courtesy: Major League Soccer)

Oduro threatened again soon after, latching onto a driven cross and squeaking the ball onto the goal line, but Toronto goalkeeper Chris Konopka pounced on it before it could cross the line for a goal.

Giovinco drew a yellow card out of Montreal defender Laurent Ciman in added time of the first half, the last bit of action as the two teams went into the locker rooms with Toronto holding the lead. That would be Giovinco's last contribution to the match as, five minutes into the second half, he went down clutching his groin or right thigh.

And, once again, Toronto didn't feel too hard done about its injury woes. In the 55th minute, Bradley burst down the right wing, then crossed the ball over to Osorio on the other side of the box. Osorio's shot smacked the crossbar and Altidore, surrounded by defenders, got a rebound shot to give Toronto a 2-0 lead.

(Courtesy: Major League Soccer)

Once again, Oduro missed another chance in the 69th minute, but made up for it at last with a goal in the 73rd. Right as Montreal looked to start a comeback, Ciman picked up another yellow - resulting in a red card - which sealed the Impact's fate as Toronto comfortably cruised to a 2-1 win.