CF Montreal got going in the second half and earned their ticket to the Canadian Championship final by shutting out Forge FC 2-0 on Wednesday night at Stade Saputo.
The Hamilton club did a good job of muzzling the Bleu-blanc-noir in the first half, but they were unable to maintain the pace, as Ariel Lassiter and Sunusi Ibrahim scored.
The Montrealers reach the final of this tournament for the second time in three years, after winning the 11e Voyageurs cup of their history in 2021. They will face the winner of the duel between the Vancouver Whitecaps and Pacific FC, which takes place later Wednesday.
The Canadian Championship final is scheduled for the June 6-8 window.
CF Montreal and Forge FC met in this tournament for the third consecutive time. The Bleu-blanc-noir triumphed on every occasion.
In the win, Quebec forward Jules-Anthony Vilsaint made his debut with the Montreal team. He entered the meeting at the 84e minute, even firing a good low shot on his first touch of the ball.
Hernan Losada’s men return to MLS action on Saturday night when Inter Miami CF visit.
The fans gathered at the Saputo stadium might have wished to be reimbursed half the price of their ticket, because the first half did not give a very strong game.
Besides a nice climb from David Choinière at 32e minute, which led to a good low shot from Woobens Pacius, there weren’t many scoring chances.
However, the game came alive in the second half and especially in favor of CF Montreal.
Rudy Camacho and Ibrahim announced the colors of their troop by unleashing a good strike which missed the target. Lassiter gave something to celebrate at the 54e minute.
Working from the left side, Lassiter came back to the center and he fired a low shot that hit Alessandro Hojabrpour’s right foot. The ball changed course and surprised goalkeeper Triston Henry, who had already moved to his left.
The Montrealers could have added to their lead only a handful of seconds later, but Chinonso Offor missed the target when he was forgotten about ten feet from the net.
Offor, who will probably have nightmares, was not at the end of his troubles. On the breakaway at the 66e minute, the striker once again send the ball over the net. Four minutes later, his deflected header was deftly pushed back onto the goal line by Henry.
Ibrahim showed him the way to the 78e minute. He took advantage of poor control from a Forge FC player and made a nice hesitation on the right before unleashing a powerful shot that beat Henry.
At the end of the game, goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois preserved his shutout by stopping David Choinière and Jordan Hamilton in quick succession.