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Atletico Ottawa 1-1 Forge: Hammers Denied Late On
By In what was the blockbuster Canadian Premier League match this weekend, Atletico Ottawa and Forge will be disappointed with just a point apiece.
When the dust settled in the nation’s capital, the sides came away with a 1-1 draw.
Two weeks in from their last CPL game – a 2-0 win at Cavalry – Ottawa made just one change to the starting 11. That came at centre back, where Sergei Kozlovskiy was preferred to Tyr Walker.
For Forge, who prevailed 2-1 over Vancouver FC a week ago, four adjustments came into the starting 11. There was also a change in shape for the Hammers, which in part caused a couple of the adjustments.
It was the visitors who struck first less than 10 minutes in. Ben Paton blew past his marker before picking out Kyle Bekker via a deflected pass in the box. The Forge captain made no mistake with his left-footed shot, putting it past Nathan Ingham.
Midway through the opening half, it nearly became 2-0. Nana Ampomah was played in on the right-hand side. The Ghanaian cut the ball back, albeit with a bit of fortune, and shot on foal. Ingham was there to deny him, keeping his side in the match.
Ottawa was largely quiet in the attacking third throughout the opening 45, but they did have a great opportunity just past the half-hour mark. After a cross flashed by without any touch, Kevin Dos Santos kept the play alive, finding Sam Salter. The striker’s effort was denied by Jassem Koleilat in impressive fashion.
Just before the interval, Ottleti had another attempt that required intervention from Koleilat. Noah Abatneh had an effort from distance. However, the Forge number one kept it out with a diving stop to his right.
Marko Jevremovic also had an opportunity a moment later. His volley was pushed aside by Ingham.
Just after halftime, the guests again had a glorious opportunity: Zayne Bruno’s cross pinballed around, with Bekker ultimately having the final touch. His shot deflected onto the post and stated out.
After that shot, it was all Ottawa for the rest of the match. First, Loic Cloutier went in on goal, but could not beat Koleilat, who came out and cut out the danger. Then, the centre back had his headed attempt just miss the target a few minutes later.
With a few minutes left, the home team had their best chance. Manny Aparicio picked out Ralph Khoury with a perfect ball, but the substitute headed it straight at Koleilat, who denied him.
Jevremovic had another chance to ice the game for Forge a couple minutes before the end of normal time. The full back raced forward, having a go. Ingham was once again there, getting down low to make the stop.
The pressure from Ottleti was rewarded at the start of stoppage time. A cross bounced up in the box towards Joaquim Coulanges. However, he received a kick to the head by Rezart Rama, fouling him. The referee immediately pointed to the spot. Ballou Tabla stepped up and placed it just beyond Koleilat, who went the right way.
Energized after the equalizer, Ottawa nearly won it at the death. David Rodriquez’s corner found Salter, who headed it on goal. Between Koleilat and David Choiniere, they combine to keep the ball out of the net.
The game ended 1-1, with Ottawa remaining top of the standings on 29 points. Next for them is a Friday night home match versus HFX Wanderers.
As for Forge, who is now unbeaten in 17 games, they stay a point behind the capital club at the midpoint of the campaign. Next for the Hammers is a return home to take on Pacific. That also takes place Friday night.
