Forge advance to Canadian semifinals
Forge FC secured a historic 2-1 victory over CF Montreal at Stade Saputo on Wednesday evening to book their ticket to the Canadian Championship semifinal.
Daniel Parra and Kwasi Poku scored in the first half for the Canadian Premier League’s Forge, which upset the Major League Soccer side with a 3-2 victory in the two-leg quarterfinal on aggregate.
Victor Wanyama replied for Montreal, which is winless in eight games in all competitions.
Forge won after being eliminated by Montreal in the three previous years of the tournament. They’ll face Toronto FC, the Vancouver Whitecaps or the winners of a matchup between Pacific FC and Atletico Ottawa in the semifinals.
“We did a good job reading the opponent in the beginning of the game and we’ve got excellent players in our squad, then it comes down to execution,” Forge head coach Bobby Smyrniotis said. “In that first half, our guys came out and did it perfectly.
“A few of them have gotten away from us in the past, especially here so it’s great to get this result.”
Forge and Montreal drew 1-1 during the first leg in Hamilton, meaning Forge technically trailed on away goals entering Wednesday’s matchup.
The CPL side started the night on the front foot and scored the opening goal in the 14th minute. Parra found space in the penalty area and fired a shot that was mishandled by Montreal keeper Sebastian Breza, giving Forge a 2-1 aggregate lead.
Just 10 minutes later, Forge added a second goal with a direct ball that sent Poku through on net. He made no mistake and put Montreal on the ropes with the home side needing three goals from that point on to advance.
Narrowly missed chances and several excellent saves from Forge keeper Christopher Kolango helped quash any chance at a miracle comeback for Montreal.
“It’s a mental game and even when we conceded, we spoke on the field to calm everyone’s head and it went well after that,” said Forge defender Garven Metusala.
“(It) shows the quality we have in this team and in this league. We know we have a lot of guys that can play at this level.”