O mon Dieu! Romell Quioto blew the roof off The Big O Saturday night.

Not only did CF Montréal figure out how to score for the first time in 2023, they took all three points for the very first time this season, and in the most dramatic fashion.

“That’s football,” said head coach Hernán Losada post-match, with a giant smile on his face. “This is why supporters come to the stadium and this is why it’s the best sport in the world.”

That win will go down as one of the best home openers in Montréal’s history.

After Romell Quioto opened the scoring from the penalty spot just two minutes into the match, CFM found themselves chasing the game for half an hour after Philadelphia forward Mikkel Uhre scored a brace, fourteen minutes apart.

Montréal was given their ticket back into the game when Philly’s Julian Carranza was shown his second yellow card for a late challenge on CanMNT defender Joel Waterman.

In typical CFM fashion, nothing comes easy. Chinoso Offor’s equalizer was initially allowed, then called offside by VAR. But, in a twist of fate that makes you think the football gods are in fact looking out for Montréal supporters, a second review was initiated because of a player that was not seen in the first VAR review. Offor was ruled onside and the tying goal stood.

“We had to push because there was a player on the line off the post; there was an opponent there,” Montréal Designated Player Victor Wanyama explained. “The (video review) wasn’t picking it up. But we have a good bench and they follow up everything, although we had to complain about that. We’re happy they turned down the decision and they gave us the goal.”

“We are all humans, and we can all make mistakes. Fortunately for us, this was a situation where you can come back from that decision because at the end they made the good call,” said Losada.

“It was a bit all or nothing at the end and tonight it worked. Sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it doesn’t, but we fought for every ball and that was crucial.”

“It was an indescribable feeling. It’s important to keep cool during the game and not let it get to your head, but I was buzzing,” said CFM starting goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois, who made five saves on the night. “This is something you dream about as a kid and it’s the reason that I became a professional soccer player.”

Prior to Saturday’s home opener, Montréal had become the fifth team in MLS history with no points and no goals through its first three matches. That’s all in the rearview mirror now.

“The best always come after defeats. When you win, with the euphoria, we think we did everything well which is not the case,” Losada said.

Montréal have a week off to recover before travelling to BC Place to face the Vancouver Whitecaps on April 1.