Forge FC advances to their second-straight Concacaf League appearance. This was thanks to clinical finishing and some great defending by the Hamilton side despite being a man down for the entire second half at Estadio Nacional Rod Carew.
Forge FC advances with a big road win against C.A. Independiente de La Chorrera
Full Game Summary
Final Game Summary:#ForgeFC took advantage of their opportunities. #EstoEsCAI did not take advantage of their chances.
Forge FC's defence was fantastic as Hamilton got a clean sheet despite being a man down in the second half.#CAIvFOR | 0-2 (0-2) | #SCL21
— Last Word on Soccer (@LastWordSC) September 29, 2021
First Half
CAI started the game aggressively. Guido Rouse for example got a shot that hit the post in the third minute. They also had a great chance to score in the 17-minute, but the shot was off-target.
There were also some good defensive plays as Forge’s Elimane Oumar Cissé made a good defensive play in the 23-minute. Babouli’s play in the 37-minute, in particular, was a fantastic play as it prevented a CAI player from scoring. Forge also did a great job at getting offsides as CAI was offside quite a few times in the game, including the 15-minute. Lastly, Babouli’s terrific defensive play with a slide to intercept the ball in the 37-minute might have been the best defensive play of the game.
27' #ForgeFC scores! Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson gives a great header pass to Molham Babouli scores with a terrific header as Hamilton gets the important away goal!#CAIvFOR | 0-1 (0-1) | #SCL21 pic.twitter.com/qTBZqEPJ8Z
— Last Word on Soccer (@LastWordSC) September 28, 2021
For the first goal following the corner, Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson made a heads-up play with a header pass to Molham Babouli. This resulted in a terrific header and goal by Babouli. It is important to note that Babouli got sent off late in the first half, it was an unjustifiable red card. However, Hamilton had to bite their tongue and get a result in the second half.
Second Half
Hamilton played terrific defence and had good goalkeeping in the second half. This included an Emery Welshman steal in the 48-minute and a terrific save by Triston Henry in the 49-minute. Achinioti-Jönsson also made a great defensive play. The most impressive one was Daniel Krutzen who made a diving play to prevent a pass into the centre of the box. Henry also made a good save in the 62-minute.
Saying that CAI had their chances like in the 57-minute, but Edgardo Fariña’s header from close range was off-target. They also had a chance in the 66-minute. The goal happened because of a good run by Welshman in the 52-minute, which was rewarded with a free-kick.
54' What a free-kick by #ForgeFC captain Kyle Bekker!#CAIvFOR | 0-2 (0-2) | #SCL21 pic.twitter.com/K87Hajdt2b
— Last Word on Soccer (@LastWordSC) September 28, 2021
The rest was taken care of by their captain Kyle Bekker. His free-kick went into the top corner and beat the CAI goalkeeper César Samudio. Forge scored despite being a man down. Hamilton won the game and two-legged aggregate 2-0. The first game played at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario was a scoreless draw.
C.A. Independiente de La Chorrera will now travel to Colón to go up against C.D. Árabe Unido on October 2 at 5:00 p.m. ET. The game will take place at Estadio Armando Dely Valdés. Hamilton will now travel to Canada’s capital on October 3. They will face Atletico Ottawa at 3:30 p.m. ET and is the first of a three-game road trip for Forge. The game will take place at TD Place Stadium and can be watched live on OneSoccer.
Hamilton will now face the winner of the C.D. Plaza Amador and Santos de Guápiles F.C. game at 6:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday. It will take place at Estadio Nacional Rod Carew in Panama City, Panama. The game will be shown on OneSoccer on tape delay on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. ET.
Three points:
Following up on this, for those who may have missed it during commentary.
Pursuant to Regulation 24.1 in #SCL21, Babouli’s suspension *can’t* be appealed.
I understand that Forge wanted to appeal and reached out to the CDC but were told they can’t.
No Babouli for QF Leg 1 https://t.co/GpgN7oqNEl pic.twitter.com/XvDMW9XKvJ
— Adam Jenkins (@adamkjenkins) September 29, 2021
Babouli should not have been sent off. Babouli gave a slight push (it did not look like much contact at all) to Abdiel Macea. Macea reacted and went down, and Babouli was given a red card. It was very controversial, as a lot of referees would not even give a yellow card in that situation. This should make Concacaf ask questions to themselves about having VAR as it is desperately needed. Unfortunately, this play cannot be reviewed as explained by Adam Jenkins in the Tweet above.
Forge FC eliminated a Panama side for the second-straight year. Hamilton got another victory against a Panama side. The first being last year where they upset Tauro F.C. in the Concacaf League. This one was an even bigger win as CAI eliminated MLS-side Toronto FC in the 2019 Concacaf Champions League.
Forge FC capitalized on their chances. On the road, Hamilton knew they had to take advantage of their chances. They did that for the most part. Both goals were terrific for very different reasons. The first goal was about teamwork and the second goal was about Bekker and his free-kick.
Picture credit goes to Forge FC by Ryan McCullough on September 11, 2021
