After banging, no, smashing on the door for 84 minutes, Toronto FC finally kicked it open.
What looked destined to be a frustrating evening filled with half-chances and near-misses - along with some questionable officiating decisions - turned into euphoria at BMO Field, as Jozy Altidore pounced on a loose ball and smashed it home to give the Reds a 1-0 lead over New York City FC in the first leg of the two teams' Eastern Conference semifinal.
The Canadian side got a deserved second minutes later, as substitute Tosaint Ricketts bumbled home a goal in injury time to send an already bouncing home crowd into pandemonium.
In injury time, Canadian Tosaint Ricketts puts #TFC up by 2!! #TFCLive #TORvsNYC #BMOfield pic.twitter.com/flEOCHTz2z
— Lorraine McMillanG (@bluejaylover49) October 31, 2016
It doesn't matter how they go in, as long as they do.
Toronto FC now heads into the second leg at Yankee Stadium knowing that avoiding a complete collapse should be enough to reach the Eastern Conference final for the first time in club history.
