RECAP + HIGHLIGHTS: Atlético Ottawa draw first blood in CanChamp quarters vs. York

Atlético Ottawa took care of business in the home leg of their TELUS Canadian Championship quarter-final against York United with a 2-1 victory on Wednesday night at TD Place.

David Rodríguez scored the winner for Atlético Ottawa, two minutes after Ballou Tabla had equalized an early strike from York United's Julian Altobelli.

It was another feisty meeting between the two Ontario rivals, as after they set a Canadian Premier League record for fouls in a match with a combined 47 in a meeting in the league earlier in the season, they were called for another 40 on Wednesday.

A rainy evening at TD Place was the backdrop against which the game was played. Both teams had to adjust in the early moments to the slippery surface, which caused both teams to lose their footing at some inopportune moments.

Just five minutes into the match, York United drew first blood. An outstanding run down the left flank saw Adonijah Reid ride a tackle from Tyr Walker, before a clever change of pace to get past Noah Abatneh. The York winger cut the ball back into the centre of the box, where, as has been the case all season, Altobelli was waiting to smash the ball past Nathan Ingham.

Altobelli's ninth goal of the season in all competitions gave the Nine Stripes an early 1-0 lead. It was the sixth time in their past seven visits to TD Place that York opened the scoring, with the only exception being their loss on penalties in the 2024 CPL Playoff quarter-final.

The goal did not deter the hosts, however, as they kept attacking in waves through the early stages of the match. In the 16th minute, Kevin Dos Santos cut in from the left at the top of the box and rolled a clever pass into the path of Tabla. The Ottawa attacker took the ball on his left foot and unleashed a shot across goal which beat Ivan Pavela to equalize the score.

Then, just over two minutes later, Atleti took a 2-1 lead. This time attacking down the right, Gabriel Antinoro cut the ball back to Rodríguez, who hit a strike across goal. Pavela got a firm hand to it, but the ball slid off his glove, off the post and into the net.

After the flurry of excitement, however, the match slowed to walking pace shortly thereafter as the two sides were quick to foul one another should either get a yard of space, creating a stop-start tempo. Atleti and York combined for 18 fouls during the first half.

Atlético Ottawa thought they had found a third goal in the 37th minute during a chaotic sequence following a free kick whipped into the box. The ball dropped to Sam Salter, who sent it goalward, but York's Kembo Kibato took the sting off it with a big block and Pavela was able to catch the ball just before the goal line. Just two minutes later, Pavela got to a ball in the box just before Salter to deny the Ottawa striker again.

Having survived that stretch, York pressed for an equalizer in the waning minutes of the half. They had a couple of decent chances, none better than Reid cutting down the right side of the box, but having his shot blocked brilliantly by Tyr Walker in the 42nd minute. That bit of defensive quality maintained Ottawa's 2-1 lead heading into the half.

Despite trailing by a goal, the early stages of the second half saw York United sit back in a compact shape, trying to take away Atlético Ottawa's ability to play through them. York made a pair of substitutions in the 60th minute, bringing in Luke Singh at central defender, which shifted Elijah Adekugbe into midfield, and Shola Jimoh who made his return following international duty with the Canadian U-17 national team over the past few weeks.

The shift nearly paid dividends immediately, as in the 63rd minute, Altobelli picked out Adekugbe in the box, but the now-midfielder's rushed shot was wide of the target. To make matters worse, on the play Adekugbe appeared to pull up, and had to be removed from the match through injury, with Max Ferrari coming in and York having to shuffle their structure once again. This time, it was Orlando Botello who moved into midfield to pair with Kibato.

As the half wore on, the hosts started to find more joy in attack as they looked to extend their lead. In the 70th minute, they nearly cut down the right again with some lovely movement from Antinoro, who beat his man before cutting the ball back into the centre. This time, however, Rodríguez's strike was blocked by Singh. It was another example of how well Atlético Ottawa used their full-backs and wingers to combine in attacking situations during the match.

York had a great chance to equalize in the 84th minute, as a stinging strike from distance from Singh was stopped by Ingham, but straight into the path of Altobelli. Given his track record, it seemed a sure thing that the York striker would bury the rebound. Instead, he put the ball just wide of the left post.

The victory for the hosts made it 11 straight matches without a loss at TD Place for Atlético Ottawa in all competitions. The two sides will meet again in the second leg on Tuesday, July 8 at York Lions Stadium. Ottawa have only ever won once away to York United in club history, and have lost on their last four visits to the stadium, so taking a lead into the second leg is of particular benefit to them.

BOX SCORE

Lineups

Atlético Ottawa: Ingham; Cloutier, Abatneh, Walker; Antinoro, Castro (Zapater 66'), Aparicio (Sissoko 75'), Dos Santos (Coulanges 82'); Rodríguez, Tabla, Salter (Patterson 75')

York United: Pavela; Sturing, Adekugbe (Ferrari 66'), León; Botello (Lopez 79'), Kibato, Accetolla (Singh 60'), Ferrazzo; Ferrin, Reid (Jimoh 60'), Altobelli

Goals

*5' -- Julian Altobelli (York United)
16 -- Ballou Tabla (Atlético Ottawa)
18' -- David Rodríguez (Atlético Ottawa)

Discipline

30' -- Yellow: Julian Altobelli (York United)
45+2' -- Yellow: Noah Abatneh (Atlético Ottawa)
52' -- Yellow: Kembo Kibato (York United)
74' -- Yellow: Manny Aparicio (Atlético Ottawa)
75' -- Yellow: Riley Ferrazzo (York United)
90+2' -- Yellow: Joaquim Coulanges (Atlético Ottawa)
90+5' -- Yellow: Loïc Cloutier (Atlético Ottawa)

CanPL.ca Player of the Match

Gabriel Antinoro, Atlético Ottawa

The Atleti wingback put in an excellent shift on Wednesday, setting up David Rodrìguez' winner with a great cutback. He created three chances, and won six of ten duels.

What’s next?

The second leg of this quarter-final tie is on Tuesday, July 8 at York Lions Stadium.

Both clubs are back in action in the league this weekend, with York United travelling to Starlight Stadium to take on Pacific FC on Saturday, June 14 (6 p.m. ET) and Atlético Ottawa hosting Valour FC on Sunday, June 15 (7 p.m.) in the CPL on TSN match.

Watch all 2025 TELUS Canadian Championship, Concacaf Champions Cup and CPL matches live on OneSoccer. In addition to its website and app, OneSoccer is now available on TELUS channel 980 and on Fubo TV. Call your local cable provider to ask for OneSoccer today.