CF Montreal Bests Forge FC To Reach Canadian Championship Final

On a cold night at Saputo Stadium, CF Montreal beat Forge FC 2-0 to reach the 2023 Canadian Championship Final. Ariel Lassiter and Sunusi Ibrahim scored for the home side.

“We put an extra attacker”, said Hernan Losada when asked about the offense finally clicking in a second half that prove much more enticing than the first. “We had a lot of possession but we were lacking in the final third.”

For the first 52 minutes of the game, it was pretty uneventful as Forge FC came out on the front foot, putting pressure right from the start of the match.

After that, however, Lassiter opened the scoring in the 53rd minute as he had a chance at goal and the shot ended up going off a Forge defender and into the back of the net.

“We decided to put an extra forward in the second half. You need the first goal to open up the game, and that’s what happened.”

The next chance for CF Montreal came in the 62nd minute as Rudy Camacho had a chance with a solid header on target, but Forge keeper Triston Henry made a crucial save.

Eight minutes later it was Chinonso Offor with a solid run up the pitch. He was even able to pull off a nutmeg before running to the net to attempt a header but again was denied by Henry.

In the 78th minute, Sunusi Ibrahim doubled Montreal’s lead as Sean Rea attempted a pass that went off another Forge defender and right to him and he managed to run into the box and power a shot into the net.

Jonathan Sirois, who got the start again in the net, made his first and only save of the night in the 89th minute when David Choiniere had his chance to score but was denied by a brilliant diving save, with Hamilton’s follow up denied too.

I asked Mathieu Choiniere what changed between the first and second half to spark the team to victory and put them 90 minutes away from lifting the Voyageurs Cup.

“We went into the locker room and tried to adapt,” Choiniere said. “We came back in the second half and we felt things were easier. We got some good chances and found the space.”

CF Montreal will either face Pacific FC or the Vancouver Whitecaps on the road in BC on June 7th.

Header Image Photo Credit: Audrey Magny / Forge FC