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Forge FC was unable to score as F.C. Motagua advances

Forge FC goalkeeper Triston Henry against York United FC

TEGUCIGALPA, HON – Forge FC was unable to score against F.C. Motagua and failed to advance. It was not without some chances though for Hamilton. It was surprising that the match ended in a scoreless draw.

Forge FC was unable to score in Honduras’ capital

Three keys to the game

First half

Motagua made a good defensive play in the third minute. Omar Browne had a great chance to score but missed the net in the seventh minute. Browne’s shot in the 12-minute was on target but was saved by the Motagua goalkeeper. Forge attacked a lot in the first 13 minutes of the game. A controversial play was made as Kyle Bekker’s arm touched the ball, but there was no call. Bekker made a terrific defensive play in the 20-minute. Awuah hit the side of the net. Triston Henry made a punching save in the 23-minute.

Kevin López passed the ball in the 24-minute, but no one was there. Triston Henry also might have caught the ball inside the goal-line, but it was not called. Forge’s Joshua Navarro’s shot was stopped. Motagua made a good defence to prevent the pass. Marcelo Pereira made a terrific interception to intercept Navarro’s pass. Roberto Moreira and Kevin López’s shot was off-target. Then Kwame Awuah made a terrific pass to Joshua Navarro, but his shot was just high. A Motagua header was off-target. Awuah made a terrific interception in the 42-minute, he was one of their best players.

Second half

Forge had one big chance at the start of the second half. Awuah created a cross for Babouli, but the shot went straight to the Motagua goalkeeper. In the 58-minute, Browne’s shot was intercepted. Motagua countered but it was called offside. Henry made a terrific save in the 62-minute. Samuel made a big block in the 66-minute. Bekker was looking for David Choinière, but the pass was intercepted. Dom Samuel persisted in the 69-minute and won a foul for his side. Brownie’s shot was blocked.

A massive save from Henry in the 74-minute kept the game close. The shot missed the target. Lopez shot was wide in the 76-minute. In the 77-minute, a turnover led to a chance and a Motagua corner. There was a good defensive play in the 83-minute to cut off a Hamilton possession. Gonzalo Klusener had a chance to seal the game in the 86-minute, as his shot from very close range was off-target.

It looked like Hamilton late in the game had trouble with Motagua’s defensive line. Even with the substitutes, they were not able to take advantage. However, it was still a remarkable achievement for Forge in this Concacaf League edition. This is also the first point Hamilton earned in three trips to Honduras. This includes the loss last year to C.D. Marathon.

Upcoming games for both teams

F.C. Motagua will now face Guatemalan side Comunicaciones F.C. in the Concacaf League Final. The first leg will be in Honduras on December 10, while leg two will be in Guatemala on December 15. They will also play their two-leg semi-finals league series against Real C.D. España this month. The two leg-series will start on December 4 and finish at home for Motagua on December 11.

For Forge FC, there is only one game left this year. This is the Canadian Premier League Final at Tim Hortons Field. There, they will face Pacific FC based in Langford, British Columbia. The game kicks off at 4:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 5. The game will be shown live on OneSoccer and Telus. Hamilton made the 2021 CPL Final after beating York United FC 3-1 in the Canadian Premier League playoffs.

Three keys to the game

Forge FC 2021 Concacaf League campaign will leave a legacy. Yes, Hamilton did not win the Concacaf League. However, the job was accomplished. Winning the Concacaf League was always going to be hard. The more important thing though is that Forge FC will be in the 2022 Concacaf Champions League thanks partly to their quarterfinals win over AD Santos. Also, Hamilton has earned respect from other teams. This can be seen in the above tweet with what Forge FC’s head coach Bobby Smyrniotis said. It is also a much happier ending compared to last year.

F.C. Motagua’s ability to steal the ball played a role. Motagua earned 25 steals against Hamilton. This is 18 more than the seven steals Hamilton earned. Some of these steals happened when Hamilton was attacking. A pass that could have given Hamilton a clear-cut or a decent chance to score was intercepted. For example, in the first half, Pereira intercepted the ball from Navarro. They also played good defence in the second half, even when Hamilton made substitutions.

Forge FC unable to convert. Hamilton had plenty of chances to score. There were a few chances that comes to mind. The early chances that Omar Brownie had early in the game. The most notable one was Joshua Navarro’s shot just narrowly being off-target. Awuah played a big role in that play as his cross was perfect. Awuah would then generate another scoring chance for Molham Babouli in the second half. However, the shot was off-target. Also, yes they came from behind in leg one, but they did give up two road goals. This was how Motagua advanced to the 2021 Concacaf League Final.

Picture credit to David Chant of CPL on November 9, 2021.

 

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