HIGHLIGHTS: Forge FC vs. Valour FC (May 13, 2023)

Forge FC won a third straight league match on Saturday afternoon, beating Valour FC 3-2 at Tim Hortons Field thanks to some timely goals and a winner from Kwasi Poku.

With the afternoon sun beating down on the turf at Tim Hortons Field, this match took some time to truly find a rhythm. Both sides made a couple forays into the final third in the first 15 minutes but neither goal was particularly threatened, until around the 17th minute when Forge began getting in behind via Tristan Borges on the right wing.

The hosts couldn’t break through with their early attacking phases though, and Valour began to make better use of their transitional opportunities as the game opened up. Dante Campbell took a free kick quickly to Pacifique Niyongabire, who drove forward at the Forge backline and played it coolly to the right for an oncoming Kian Williams. The English attacker bore down on Triston Henry and smashed a finish just over the keeper’s head to make it 1-0.

Forge, however, wasted no time getting back into it. They got back into the attacking third quickly and Aboubacar Sissoko did very well, even after falling to the ground, to hang onto possession and find a way to square it for Jordan Hamilton, who smashed it low to equalize.

With the score level at halftime, Forge boss Bobby Smyrniotis opted to make an early substitution at the break, putting Ashtone Morgan in at left-back in place of Malik Owolabi-Belewu.

Not long into the half, Forge put themselves in front. Rezart Rama travelled in from the right flank with the ball and passed back out to Sissoko in the now-empty space. Sissoko squared it across and Hamilton brought it down into the path of Kyle Bekker, who scored with a deflected shot to make it 2-1.

Valour’s lifeline arrived later in the second half, with just about 15 minutes to go. After an initial corner was cleared to Matteo De Brienne, the fullback sent it forward into the box for Abdou Samaké. The Valour defender hit it well from around the top of the six-yard box and the game was level — briefly.

Once again after conceding, though, Forge went right back down the other end as Rezart Rama and David Choinière combined and it came to Bekker at the end line. The captain lifted a perfect cross over traffic to where Kwasi Poku was waiting to score with a header into the open goal.

BOX SCORE

Goals

30′ — Kian Williams (Valour FC)
33′ — Jordan Hamilton (Forge FC)
50′ — Kyle Bekker (Forge FC)
74′ — Abdou Samake (Valour FC)
77′ — Kwasi Poku (Forge FC)

Discipline

83′ — Yellow: Triston Henry (Forge FC)
90+3′ — Dante Campbell (Valour FC)