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Photo Credit: Denys Rudenko
Forge 0-1 Cavalry: Cavs Stun Hammers To Book Ticket For CPL Final
By For the first time in Canadian Premier League history, Forge will not be involved in the last game of the season.
The Hammers were knocked off their perch at home for the second week running, with Cavalry prevailing 1-0 at Hamilton Stadium on Sunday.
After losing the first semi-final the week prior to Atletico Ottawa, there were two changes to the Forge starting lineup. In came Malik Owolabi-Belewu and Nana Ampomah at the expense of Tristan Borges and David Choiniere.
As for Cavalry, who convincingly beat York United 4-1 in their quarterfinal, head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr opted for the same starting eleven this time around.
The opening chance of note came less than 10 minutes in. After dispossessing Ali Musse, Dan Nimick found Ampomah over the top. The Ghanaian could not keep his shot down, failing to test Marco Carducci.
A few minutes later, the visitors had a chance of their own. After a loose pass from Nimick, Musse picked up the ball and played it to Goteh Ntignee. The winger crossed it to Caniggia Elva, but his weak attempt was easily stopped by Jassem Koleilat.
The Hammers had a glorious chance moments after that, as Marko Jevremovic got forward from his left back position. The Serbian international went for goal with his weaker foot, but Carducci was there to deny him.
Cavalry went the other way through Ntignee, who drove quite a distance with the ball at his feet. He faced Koleilat on what was a tight angle. However, the Forge shot stopper was again the one to come out on top, keeping the game goalless.
In a first half full of solid chances, Brian Wright nearly got the hosts in front as well. Kyle Bekker swung in a free kick that found the striker. With Carducci failing to get contact on the ball, it was an open goal. However, Wright could not keep his header down.
Elva had an arguably better chance just before the half hour mark. Fraser Aird’s cross fell to the St. Lucian international, who could not sort out his feet. It was an opportunity the attacker certainly would have loved to have back.
Five minutes after the restart, Elva had another go at goal. Given space from outside of the box, he let fly from about 25 yards out. His effort smashed off the outside of the post, and went out of bounds.
Just before the hour mark, Cavalry broke the deadlock. A bad touch from Owolabi-Belewu opened the door for Tobias Warschewski, who took it from the center back, and chipped it over Koleilat. It was a tidy finish from the German to give the Cavs the lead.
Forge struggled to create meaningful chances throughout the second half, having just one attempt on target. They were nearly punished again ten minutes from the end: after the visitors cleared a corner, Ntingee went on a counter, beating Rezart Rama before speeding away. One-on-one with Koleilat, the Cavalry number 20 was again thwarted, however.
The last notable attempt Forge had in this one came in the 96th minute. A cross from Harry Paton found the head of Rama. Unfortunately for the right back, his header was kept out by Carducci, who caught the ball on his goal line.
For the third year running, Cavalry will contest in the CPL final as they seek to defend the North Star Cup. They head to the nation’s capital to battle Atletico Ottawa. Not only is the North Star Cup on the line, but a place in the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup is up for grabs, too. The winning team will join Forge and Vancouver FC in the competition next February.
Header Image Photo Credit: Denys Rudenko
