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Ramirez, Ibarra help Minnesota United beat Impact 2-0

May 26, 2018 | 8:45 PM

MINNEAPOLIS — Montreal Impact head coach Remi Garde offered a blunt assessment of his team’s play after their 2-0 loss to Minnesota United on Saturday.

“We had opportunities, but there was a lack of skill, talent and willpower tonight,” he said.

The Impact (3-10-0) have lost four in a row — all shutouts — and eight of their last nine while being outscored 24-9 over that span. 

Christian Ramirez and Miguel Ibarra scored for United as they notched their second shutout of the season.

Ibson Barreto da Silva stole an errant pass in the attacking half, took a couple of dribbles and fed Ramirez at the top of the box, where he trapped it, turned and rolled it — off the arm of sliding goalkeeper Evan Bush — into the net in the 52nd minute to open the scoring.

Ibarra doubled the advantage in the 58th. Alexi Gomez’s entry from the left flank was deflected by defender Rod Fanni to the top of the box where Ibarra beat Montreal’s Daniel Lovitz to a loose ball, turned and lofted a left-footer into the top-left corner of the net.

Impact goalkeeper Evan Bush said the team’s play wasn’t good enough to offset some sloppy defending.

“We weren’t efficient with our passing in the first half,” he said. “We had opportunities, but the mistakes we made were costly. Defensively we weren’t bad, but you need to be perfect when you don’t score.”

Minnesota (5-7-1) snapped a three-game winless streak as Bobby Shuttleworth had three saves for his second clean sheet this season.

Minnesota won the only other meeting between the two franchises 3-2 on Sept. 16, 2017.

The Associated Press