RECAP + HIGHLIGHTS: Atlético Ottawa vs. Forge FC | Sept. 21, 2025

A late goal at TD Place allowed Forge FC to hold onto first place in the Canadian Premier League on Sunday afternoon, as substitute Hoce Massunda scored to deliver a 1-1 draw against Atlético Ottawa.

With nothing to separate the league's top two sides on this occasion, Forge maintained their two-point lead in the chase for the CPL Shield, now with just four weeks left to play.

This match felt somewhat like a final, considering both the stakes and the pressure evident on both sides. The opening stages were therefore a little cagey; Atleti had an advantage in possession, but Forge were the more direct and threatened the box a little more. However, it was clear that both teams were attempting to feel the other out, and avoid any big mistakes.

Just 25 minutes in, though, the home side would find a way through with their first serious venture into Forge's penalty area. Ballou Tabla waltzed all the way into the box on his own, around the left edge of Forge's defence, and cut a good pass back to an unmarked Gabriel Antinoro near the penalty spot. Antinoro smashed it along the ground and in, putting Ottawa up 1-0 with their first shot on target.

It would be a significantly re-energized Forge that emerged from the dressing rooms after halftime, as the trailing visitors sought desperately to level the score and hold onto their Shield lead. Nana Ampomah, in particular, took over the game on the right wing, breaking through Ottawa's lines with his pace and attempting to find lanes to play the ball into the box.

The Hamilton club did, naturally, have a bigger share of the ball in the second half, although Ottawa largely did a better job of keeping them out of the dangerous areas. Atleti played a little more direct when they did have the ball, looking to counter-attack, which they managed to do effectively a handful of times.

A little controversy arose around the hour mark, when Forge right-back Rezart Rama clipped David Rodríguez to break up a transition, just a few minutes after he'd been shown a yellow card. The play was deemed a foul, but referee Scott Bowman offered to spare Rama from a second yellow, much to the chagrin of Diego Mejía and the Ottawa bench.

With 15 minutes to play, Ampomah found himself on the end of Forge's best chance of the day, receiving an excellent ball in behind to set up a one-on-one chance in front of goal. Although his shot got past Nathan Ingham, it smacked off the right goalpost and Forge remained goalless.

At last, with less than 10 minutes remaining in the 90, Ottawa's defence broke. Viktor Klonaridis smashed a first-time shot off the post, but it fell nicely for Hoce Massunda, who buried the chance and made it 1-1 late in the contest.

Neither team would find another edge on the day, and this top-of-the-table clash would ultimately end with the spoils shared.

No ground was therefore gained or lost in the race for the CPL Shield, but Forge will continue to control their own destiny over the final month of the regular season.

BOX SCORE

Lineups

Atlético Ottawa: Ingham; Kozlovskiy, Abatneh, Cloutier; Antinoro (Assi 80'), Castro (Zapater 71'), Aparicio, Coulanges (Dos Santos 67'); Rodríguez (Ortega 80'), Salter, Tabla (Patterson 80')

Forge FC: Koleilat; Rama, Nimick, Achinioti-Jönsson, Jevremović; Borges (Massunda 64'), Hojabrpour, Bekker (B. Paton 75'); Ampomah (Choinière 77'), Wright (Klonaridis 64'), Babouli (Jensen 75')

Goals

25' — Gabriel Antinoro (Atlético Ottawa)
82' — Hoce Massunda (Forge FC)

Discipline

53' — Yellow: Rezart Rama (Forge FC)
61' — Yellow: Manny Aparicio (Atlético Ottawa)
87' — Yellow: Kevin Ortega (Atlético Ottawa)