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The Nairobian

Class is permanent: Thierry Henry applauds Wanyama’s Man of the Match performance as Monreal Impact beat DC United

Football

By Robert Abong'o | Jul 22, 2020

Jul 21, 2020; Kissimmee, FL, USA; D.C. United midfielder Federico Higua’n (2) and Montreal Impact midfielder Victor Wanyama (2) fight for the ball during the second half at ESPN Wide World of Sports. [Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports]

Harambee Stars captain Victor Wanyama’s Match of The Match performance helped Canadian outfit Montreal impact defeat DC United in a Major League Soccer (MLS) Is Back Tournament staged at the ESPN Wide World of Soccer Complex in Florida on Tuesday, July 21.

Saphir Taider scored the only goal of the game a minute past the half-hour mark, placing Montreal Impact in an advanced position to clinch one of the four available third-place slots in order to qualify for the Round of 16.

Wanyama had an injury scare after the goal after a stamp by Brazilian midfielder Felipe Martins, but medics were on site to make sure the ex-Tottenham man went on with the game.

3 Important points last night ???????? pic.twitter.com/7n0aV5G2aP — Victor Wanyama (@VictorWanyama) July 22, 2020

“He was not near the ball and I think it was a dangerous tackle. I think he’s lucky to stay on the pitch. I’m lucky that I’m okay,” Wanyama said.

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Montreal impact head coach Thierry henry also heaped praise on the team, emphasing on the importance of getting required results after the re-start.

“Today or this morning, they showed me that they can respond,” said Henry during the post-match press conference.

“It wasn’t pleasant, it wasn’t pretty in the second half, but we hung in there, stayed tight and we got the result we needed.” Hopefully, we can carry on in this tournament, but if we don’t, just look at the league. It was very important for us to be back in the mix in the Eastern Conference,” Henry explained.

The ex-Arsenal and assistant Belgium head coach also highlighted the fact that they played well last time out but lost.

“First and foremost, it was pretty against Toronto and we lost right? Very pretty against Toronto. We bossed them, but we lost. Today, I thought we had control of the ball for the first-half, second-half it was a bit more difficult, they wanted to come back into the game. But we won, so that’s the most important thing in the game,” concluded Henry.

**Wanyama in action for Montreal Impact [COURTESY]**

Victor Wanyama Career in a nutshell:

Plays as a defensive midfielder for The Montreal Impact in Canada.

His playing career started in Kenya, where he donned the colours of Kenya Premier League sides AFC Leopards and Nairobi City Stars.

After trials were successful he joined Belgian side Beerschot AC on a four-year deal in 2008. Here, he scored only twice in 51 appearances.

He moved to Celtic in 2011 on a four-year contract choosing the shirt number 67. He scored 10 goals for Celtic in over 60 appearances.

Two years later, he joined Premier League side Southampton, becoming first EVER Kenyan to play in the Premier League. He made 84 appearances for the Saints, scoring 4 times.

Having brought him to Southampton, Mauricio Pochettino signed Wanyama at Tottenham in 2016 on a five-year deal. Here, he scored 6 times in 69 apperances. It is at Spurs that Wanyama made his name.

In March this year, Wanyama moved to Major League Soccer outfit Montreal Impact.

For the national team: Wanyama has scored 7 times in 60 appearances. He was a key part of the squad that beat Ghana and Ethiopia to qualify for the 2019 AFCON.