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Photo Credit: Adrien Douaire
Supra 1-1 Forge: Krutzen Breaks Hosts’ Hearts
By Supra was on the cusp of completing a second 1-0 win over Forge in a matter of days before an unlikely hero stepped up.
The first leg of the sides’ Canadian Championship semifinal ended 1-1 at Stade Boreale, leaving the tie well poised for the decider a fortnight later.
In terms of personnel, Supra made five changes from the team that triumphed on Friday night in the Canadian Premier League. It was just about their strongest lineup for their most important home match in the club’s young history.
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As for Forge, they had four adjustments made to their starting 11, one which was forced due to Antoine Batisse picking up an injury in the last game.
After a fairly quiet opening 15 minutes, where the teams got into the match a little, Loic Kwemi nearly put the hosts in front. Trying to pick out a man in the box, Dmitry Bertaud was forced to make a save. Ibrahim Conde kept the ball in play, but was also thwarted by the Forge shot stopper.
Forge’s first half-chance came from a free kick midway through the half. Tristan Borges picked out Dan Nimick at the back post, but the center-back could not direct his header on target.
The Hammers hit the post later on in the opening 45 as Nana Ampomah was played in by Nimick. The wingers’ shot beat Joakim Milli, but not his right-hand post.
Supra took the lead a few minutes later. Anthony Aromatario was caught on the ball in the midfield, allowing for the CPL expansion club to go the other way. Kwemi played it across to Conde in the box, and the striker made no mistake in finding the back of the net.
Forge created two more chances before the break as they tried to level things up. Aghilas Sadek had a hit from inside the box that forced a save out of Milli. Then, Sadek played provider when his cross found Nimick. The defender’s bullet header was kept out spectacularly by a diving Milli.
The second half was largely dominated by the visitors, who were in search of a leveller to avoid going back to Hamilton with a pair of 1-0 defeats. Daniel Krutzen was unlucky to score shortly after the hour. The strike from the Dutchman was initially blocked, but he tried again and hit the post.
The Hamiltonians found themselves running out of time, and made some changes. Captain Kyle Bekker had a glorious opportunity at the top of the box, but he could only curl his attempt over the bar.
With Stade Boreale rocking with a solid attendance, the home fans were set to leave with a win. That was until Krutzen came to Forge’s rescue. A free kick from Bekker was kept in play by Maxime Bourgeois. Milli had come out of his goal, but failed to get anything on the ball. Scrambling back to his goal, there was little he could do as Krutzen bundled it over the line for the equalizer.
That proved to be the last meaningful action of the game, with the referee blowing the whistle for the final time. They will meet again on September 15th in Hamilton to decide who will represent the CPL in the CanChamp final. In that time, Forge will face Inter Toronto and Atletico Ottawa at home in the league, while Supra will have Vancouver FC away and HFX Wanderers at home.
Header mage Photo Credit: Adrien Douaire
