RECAP + HIGHLIGHTS: Halifax Wanderers vs. Atlético Ottawa (May 24, 2025)

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CanPL

For the first time in club history, the Halifax Wanderers are in first place in the Canadian Premier League, after they defeated previous leaders Atlético Ottawa 2-0 at the Wanderers Grounds on Saturday to leapfrog the capital city club in front of a raucous Maritime crowd.

The first half was energetic, with the host Wanderers looking like protagonists from the get-go. They spent much of the opening frame on the front foot, winning the ball back from Atleti frequently and moving forward with pace. Jason Bahamboula repeatedly found himself testing the Ottawa backline, and Halifax strung together a handful of decent chances, with eight first-half shots, but they were not able to beat Nathan Ingham.

The teams therefore went into halftime with neither having found the back of the net, although Ottawa may have been the happier side to do so considering how much time Halifax had spent in their end of the pitch.

From there, the pace of play did not dip, although the second half was a little more stop-start thanks to a slew of fouls from both sides that disrupted the rhythm of things.

Both managers, feeling the game was there for the taking, turned to their bench for the last 20 minutes, as each team sought what could be a winning goal.

At last, that moment did arrive for the home team. Halifax won a free kick well outside the box, and loaded up the penalty area with bodies. Giorgio Probo whipped an excellent ball toward the back post, and it sailed just above the fingertips of an on-rushing Nathan Ingham. Wanderers defender Thomas Meilleur-Giguère was on the scene just behind Ingham, where he smashed the ball into the net with a thunderous header to put the hosts in front.

Five minutes later, the Wanderers added some insurance from the penalty spot. Ryan Telfer tried to bring down the ball in the box and went to ground with contact, winning a spot kick for his side. Tiago Coimbra was the man tasked with taking the penalty, and he rolled the ball coolly to his left to score and make it 2-0.

So, Halifax went on to complete a well-deserved home win, allowing them to jump past Ottawa in the table thanks to their head-to-head record.

BOX SCORE

Lineups

Halifax Wanderers: Yesli; Pearlman, Meilleur-Giguère, Sow, Timoteo; Callegari (Rampersad 85'), Johnston; Bahamboula (Coimbra 72'), Probo (Biello 85'), Rea (Baï 72'); Telfer

Atlético Ottawa: Ingham; Cloutier, Abatneh (Duhaney-Walker 85'), Kozlovskiy (Patterson 80'); Antinoro, Aparicio, Castro (Levis 85'), Dos Santos (Coulanges 64'); Sissoko (Zapater 64'), Salter, Tabla

Goals

*75' -- Thomas Meilleur-Giguère (Halifax Wanderers)
*80' -- Tiago Coimbra (Halifax Wanderers) (Penalty)

Discipline

6' -- Yellow: Jason Bahamboula (Halifax Wanderers)
25' -- Yellow: Kevin Dos Santos (Atlético Ottawa)
66' -- Yellow: Noah Abatneh (Atlético Ottawa)
80' -- Yellow: Aiden Rushenas (Halifax Wanderers)
82' -- Yellow: Tiago Coimbra (Halifax Wanderers)
90+1' -- Yellow: Alessandro Biello (Halifax Wanderers)