CF Montreal downed CPL defending champions Forge FC Wednesday at Tim Hortons Field in their scoreless 2021 Canadian Championship semi-final though it took them to penalties, and goalkeeper attempts to boot, to do so. Triston Henry’s miss was bested by fellow ‘keeper Sebastian Breza at the end of a wild penalty shootout, capping a scoreless match that saw the hosts in Forge look the better side. Bobby Smynriotis’ team had a clear intent on scoring goals from an hour before kickoff, when a lineup that included Emery Welshman, Tristan Borges, Mo Babouli, and Omar Browne was named. Versatile Elimane Cisse played odd man out in a top-heavy midfield, slotting into a back three that was the catalyst to an early surge of urgent pressing by the hosts looking to score on an early momentum swing. Montreal did settle into the match, though, taking larger chunks of possession as the half wore on. Hamilton would get the first and second-best chances in the half after 35 minutes when back-to-back efforts, first by a streaking Welshman, at point-blank range were blocked by Breza. Similar chances followed as Kwame Awuah flipped balls into the box from the left side. Second half proceedings kicked off similarly, with Welshman’s diving attempt strayed wide. Forge maintained their press while Montreal played with a heightened intensity too as the defending CanChamp title holders pushed themselves. But proceedings slowly divulged into a cagey, nip-and-tuck affair that seemed destined for penalties which, in the Canadian Championship, come immediately after the 90 minutes. Hamilton, despite being the better side over the match, took the first attempt with Mo Babouli skying an opener over the bar. The teams traded misses though a staggering 11 rounds, highlighted by a David Choinière panenka-type lob that sailed into the net but was immediately bested by an attempt from Aljaz Struna. Josh Navarro, who converted his chance, was bested by Montreal’s Zorhan Bassong... Dom Samuel of Forge who smashed his attempt in the net’s roof… only to have Clément Bayiha’s shot find the mesh. This eventually left the ‘keepers’ attempts, starting with Triston Henry who flubbed his shot. Breza converted his, giving Montreal a long-awaited berth in the CanChamp final. With the win, Montreal advances to the final set to be played next month against the winner of Toronto FC of MLS and Pacific FC, a tie to take place in a week’s time at BMO Field in Toronto (7:30pm ET). CF Montreal is four-time winner of the Voyageurs Cup in the modern era. Forge, meanwhile, has yet to play in a CanChamp final though they have qualified for the abridged 2020 edition as winners of the CPL set to face Toronto FC at a later date. Wednesday’s match was just the second time a CPL team has taken part in a penalty shoutout, with Forge’s spotkick loss to Haitian side Arcahaie FC in the 2020 Concacaf League the only other instance. Forge will now turn their attention to the ever-important CPL playoff race with a home date against fourth-place HFX Wanderers FC on Saturday (1:00pm ET)
BOX SCORE Goals None Discipline 38′ — Yellow: Matko Miljevic (CF Montreal) 52′ — Yellow: Sam Piette (CF Montreal) 57′ — Yellow: Joel Waterman (CF Montreal) 59′ — Yellow: Tristan Borges (Forge FC) 80' — Yellow: Ballou Tabla (CF Montreal) Penalty Shootout Round 1: Mo Babouli (Missed) Lassi Lappalainen (Goal) Round 2: Daniel Krutzen (Goal) Bjørn Maars Johnsen (Missed) Round 3: Kwame Awuah (Missed) Ballou Tabla (Missed) Round 4: Elimane Cisse (Goal) Rudy Camacho (Goal) Round 5: Kyle Bekker (Goal) Rida Zouhir (Goal) Round 6: Omar Browne (Missed) Sam Piette (Missed) Round 7: David Choinière (Goal) Aljaz Struna (Goal) Round 8: Josh Navarro (Goal) Zorhan Bassong (Goal) Round 9: Dom Samuel (Goal) Clément Bayiha (Goal) Round 10: Alexander Achinioti Jonsson (Goal) Joel Waterman (Goal) Round 11: Triston Henry (Missed) Sebastian Breza (Goal)

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