RECAP + HIGHLIGHTS: Whitecaps outlast valiant Valour in CanChamp quarter-finals

The Vancouver Whitecaps' quest for a fourth consecutive TELUS Canadian Championship title remains alive despite a valiant effort from Valour over two legs in the quarter-final, as they claimed a 4-3 aggregate victory at BC Place on Wednesday.

After drawing the first match 2-2, the second leg offered up similar drama, as both teams traded blows in a 2-1 Whitecaps victory, with all three goals coming after the 80th minute.

Unfortunately for Valour, a late goal sunk them at the worst time in the 90th minute, as despite being just moments away from reaching penalties, Bjørn Inge Utvik headed home for the Whitecaps to ensure they'd avoid spot kicks.

"Hats off to opponents," Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sørensen said after. "They did everything they could to make it very hard for us."

Returning to the start of the match, both teams traded half-chances inside the first 20 minutes, as Vancouver’s first shot on target came from a free kick attempt delivered by Daniel Ríos, before Valour had a good chance courtesy of Raphael Ohin in the 17th minute, who nearly snuck in a shot from a tight angle after winning the ball in midfield.

Vancouver then had another great chance in the 21st minute, as Édier Ocampo scampered down the wing and cut the ball back for Brian White inside the box, but the Whitecaps striker flashed a powerful shot over the goal.

From there, the game reached half time without much further action, as both teams remained locked in a stalemate for the rest of the 20 minutes. Naturally, that benefited Valour, who were doing their best to absorb pressure from their hosts, who held 67% of possession in the first frame.

Despite spending most of the half without the ball, Valour did well to keep their focus defensively, which paid off as they held the Whitecaps' to just 0.35 xG on five first-half shots. Yet, for all of the good work Valour had done, they knew they were far from done, as the Whitecaps were likely to start attacking with more vigour in chase of an opener.

As expected, that push started to come in the 57th minute, as the ball fell to Ríos in the box, but his shot was deflected just wide by a Valour defender. Then, a few minutes later, Sebastian Berhalter had a low free kick attempt that nearly evaded Valour’s goalkeeper, Eleias Himaras, before Jayden Nelson slashed a shot just wide of the goal nearly immediately after.

Having come close on that attempt, Nelson had another excellent chance in the 65th minute, as he was played in behind Valour’s defence by Berhalter, but his powerful shot would be palmed away by Himaras.

Continuing to push, the Whitecaps had another chance in the 77th minute, as Berhalter got on the end of a cross into the box, but Himaras would do well to get across and push away his powerful header.

Eventually, the Whitecaps' pressure paid off in the 80th minute, as the ball fell to Emmanuel Sabbi at the edge of the box, and he curled the ball into the top corner to put his team ahead 1-0 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate.

Despite grabbing that lead, Valour would find a way to get themselves back in this game. After winning a corner, Roberto Alarcón did well to whip in a dangerous ball, one that Jevontae Layne headed home to make it 1-1.

The Whitecaps, however, broke Valour's hearts in stoppage time, giving them little time to enjoy the thrill of their equalizer. There, Nelson played a lovely cross into the path of Utvik, who headed home to put his team up 2-1 in the 90th minute.

From there, the Whitecaps did what they needed to weather a late Valour storm, allowing them to secure the win on the night, and a 4-3 aggregate victory.

In the end, it was far from an easy result for the Whitecaps, who were made to work for their victory, but credit has to be given to how they finished the match. After that quieter first half, they turned things up in the last 45 minutes, generating 1.4 xG on 11 shots, with five of those reaching the target.

As a result, that pressure eventually got to Valour, who were understandably quite fatigued after holding just 21.5% of possession in the second half.

For what it's worth, Valour remained dangerous despite that lack of possession, as seen on their late set-piece goal. For that to come despite the fatigue they were dealing with will be a moment that sticks with them, as they can say that they truly pushed the three-time champions until the 179th minute of a 180-minute tie.

"When you look at what the team was able to deliver over two legs, you just have to be proud of the guys," Valour head coach, Phil Dos Santos, said afterwards. "Yes, it's a mixed feeling, but I'm sure that when I'm going to look back at it and see the reference that the team can bring into the last 16 matches we have to play, I can't ask more from our guys."

Now, Valour will hope that this positive performance can spark their CPL season, which has not gone to plan so far, as they sit seventh in the league with just eight points. As seen by their ability to push a team of the Whitecaps' level across both legs, it's a sign of what they can be when they're organized, disciplined and willing to fight for every ball, something they've struggled to do consistently.

Perhaps, this game can spark them to do that in the 16 regular season CPL matches that await them over the next few months, as they know that despite their slow start, they've still got everything to play for in league play, as they sit just seven points behind the fifth and final playoff spot as of writing.

"The effort, energy and passion, we put that all into one, right?," Himaras said after the match. "We gave everything in these 180 minutes against the Whitecaps, and we have to translate that into the season."

"It's unfortunate where we are right now, but we've got so much of the season left, so I know that we're gonna turn it around, we just have to keep this mentality and believing in ourselves. We're nowhere near finished in the season, we have so much time to turn things around, and these experiences will help lift us up and help us grow."

BOX SCORE

Lineups

Vancouver Whitecaps: Boehmer; Ocampo (Laborda 76'), Utvik, Veselinović, Johnson (Blackmon 85'); Badwal (Berhalter 46'), Priso, Vite (Ngando 71'); Ríos, White (Sabbi 71'), Nelson

Valour FC: Himaras; Fernandez (Romeo 74'), Facchineri, Egwu, Antonoglou (Alarcón 74'); Ohin, Figueiredo; Twardek, Venâncio (Froese 62'), Faria (Morgan 86'); Williams (Layne 62')

Goals

80' — Emmanuel Sabbi (Vancouver Whitecaps)
86' — Jevontae Layne (Valour FC)
90' -- Bjørn Utvik (Vancouver Whitecaps)

Discipline

53' — Yellow: Bruno Figueiredo (Valour FC)
59' — Yellow: Zachary Fernandez (Valour FC)