May 9, 2023 – Canadian Premier League (CPL) – Atletico Ottawa News Release
Match in a minute or less
In their fourth time of asking Forge FC won the first penalty shootout in the club’s history, defeating Atlético Ottawa in a wild sequence of spot kicks.
After dominating possession and chances for most of the match, Forge looked to have won the game in regulation when they finally found a breakthrough in the 76th minute through a stunning curling strike from captain Kyle Bekker. Ottawa, however, just wouldn’t go away as they won a penalty in the 85th minute, which Ollie Bassett calmly dispatched.
Forge now get a chance to break a different Canadian Championship curse as they advance to face CF Montréal, the team who has eliminated them in the past two Canadian Championships – famously on eleven rounds of spot-kicks during the 2021 semifinal.
Three Observations
Forge break penalty kick curse during dramatic shootout
It felt like a massive sigh of relief came from the Forge technical area, not to mention the players in orange on the pitch, after Aboubacar Sissoko slid home the decisive penalty to finally give the Hamilton side a victory on spot kicks.
They had lost twice previously in penalties in this competition alone, in the 2020 final against Forge FC – played last year, and in a marathon 11 rounds against CF Montréal. Both of those matches were played at Tim Hortons Field, adding to the anxiety of Forge faithful once the full 90 had expired.
Coming up biggest was the man who has been a part of them all, goalkeeper Triston Henry. It was his missed penalty that famously cost the team in 2021, but despite his side missing three of their own on Tuesday night, Henry consistently guessed the right way on Ottawa’s shooters, denying both Malcolm Shaw and Sam Salter.
“It is tough, we have had some massive games here that have come down to PKs, any time you go to PKs and lose it is a little harsh,” said Forge captain Bekker. “So for us to kind of get over the hump, get that result tonight, [Henry] was fantastic, I think he kind of just put us on his shoulders, which was fantastic to see because he has been working really hard this year. He has had some massive saves for us in the past few games, to see him get that was great, we are all happy for him. As a collective, it is nice to kind of get that off our back a little bit and you can breathe a little easier.”
The shootout was a breathtaking back-and-forth affair, with the tempo set when both teams missed…
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