2023-06-08 01:00:00
A late goal from Sunusi Ibrahim gave CF Montreal hope, but it wasn’t enough to complete the comeback against the Vancouver Whitecaps, who were crowned Canadian champions for the second year in a row on Wednesday at BC Place in the following a 2-1 win.
Jonathan Sirois kept the CFM in the game for as long as possible after having multiplied the exploits and made seven saves, before faltering in the second half. Ibrahim pulled the gap to one goal and nearly tied the game in the dying minutes, as did Mason Toye on Montreal’s last chance before the final whistle, but it was the western rivals who emerged victorious with a place in the CONCACAF Champions Cup 2024 in their pocket.
“We gave everything until the end and we came close to equality. We thought we could force the penalty shootout, and in that case, anything can happen. We weren’t due tonight, but we’ll keep working hard,” said head coach Hernan Losada.
“Jonathan had a great game. He was one of the best players in the game. He has a lot of talent and he is improving week by week. Thanks to him, we stayed in the game until the very end and we could have won, ”he added about the 21-year-old athlete.
The Whitecaps thus lifted the Voyageurs Cup for the third time in their history and became the first team since the TFC (from 2016 to 2018) to successfully defend their Canadian title.
“After savoring the title last year, the desire was great to repeat. We raised our game in the second half defensively and offensively. We were hot and we made life difficult at the end of the game, but Yohei made incredible saves, ”celebrated midfielder Ryan Gauld, who scored a penalty.
The Whitecaps, who are unbeaten at home since the opener of the MLS season, threatened seriously early on and Sirois had to scramble in front of the net.
He first made a big save by dashing to his right to block a header from Tristan Blackmon after 5 minutes of play. Shortly after, he stopped a close shot from Levonte Johnson with his foot which deflected on Mathieu Choinière, who tried to intercept the shot.
Sirois remained frozen late in the first half when the Whitecaps initiated a quick counterattack. Johnson joined Brian White in the center on a late pass and the LaSalle-born goalkeeper threw himself on his left to block with his hand.
Then he slowed down Julian Gressel who was aiming for the skylight by stretching his arms above his head to once again keep the Montreal team in the game.
Ariel Lassiter missed a good chance to score on CFM’s only shot on target shortly before added time (against six for the opponent). Free on the left flank, he picked up a pass from Choinière and fired a low shot that the goalkeeper trapped between his knees.
Intractable until then, Sirois finally conceded the first goal of the game to the Whitecaps in the 57th minute. The Quebecer mishandled a lob coming forward and he was unable to clear the ball, so White managed to grab it behind him to score in a gaping cage.
Seven minutes later, Ahmed Hamdi fouled Ryan Gauld in the penalty area, handing Vancouver a penalty which Gauld then converted.
Sunusi Ibrahim finally got CFM back in the game in the 83rd minute with his third goal of the tournament. He became the second top scorer in the history of the Canadian Championship with six successes at just 20 years old, tied with three other players, including former Montreal Impact Ignacio Piatti.
“It’s a great experience for many of our young players,” said Losada. “To play in a match like this, in the final, not everyone is so lucky. It is a learning opportunity, and for young people in particular, they will be able to take away a lot from this experience. »
His men will now have to quickly forget this setback because they will resume action on Saturday evening, when Minnesota United will be visiting Stade Saputo.
After defeating Vaughan FC in the preliminary round and Toronto FC in the quarter-finals, CFM beat Forge FC to reach the final and face the Whitecaps for a third time at this stage of the competition.
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