CF Montreal booked their spot in the Canadian Championship after dominating Forge FC 3-0 thanks to three goals from Ibrahim Sunusi.
Montreal comes out firing
Ibrahim Sunusi had Montreal’s first chance in the 2nd minute as he went in one on one with the Forge FC keeper Triston Henry was able to make the game’s first save. Montreal opened the scoring in the 14th minute as Sunusi had a second chance on a breakaway and this time was able to beat Henry with a shot that went through his legs.
Matko Miljevic looking to double his team’s lead had a solid scoring opportunity with a shot from outside the box in the 20th minute but it went right into Henry’s hands for another save. Sunusi scored his second goal of the game two minutes later when Kei Kamara found him at the side of the net and with a solid pass Sunusi buried it into the empty side of the net.
The visitors started putting pressure on Montreal in the 35th minute but James Pantemis who got the start in goal tonight was able to punch a ball away for his first save of the game. Sunusi looking for the hat trick had another shot on target in the 38th minute but Henry made another key save.
Two minutes were added to the 45 and Montreal went into the locker room at halftime up by two and one half away from the semifinals.
Nouveau look gameday pour Corbo 🧢
Gabriele Corbo is feeling the hat-trick vibes 🧢#CFMTL pic.twitter.com/bCbUD5qPHt
— CF Montréal (@cfmontreal) May 26, 2022
Montreal finishes Forge off
Montreal made it 3-0 less than five minutes into the second half off a free kick and Sunusi completed his hat trick as he was able to head a ball into the back of the net. Head coach Wilfried Nancy made two changes in the 60th minute bringing on Rida Zouhir and Jojea Kwizera for Mathieu Choniere and Sunusi.
Joel Waterman had an amazing chance in the 67th minute with a great kick but Henry came up with an even better save to deny the ex-CPL player. Nancy made his third change in the 73rd minute bringing in Ahmed Hamdi for Matko Miljevic.
Forge FC got their first shot on target in the 78th minute when David Choniere was able to fire one at Pantemis who was able to make a big save deflecting the ball off his hand and out of play. That was as close as Forge got as after two minutes of added time the final whistle blew.
Coach reaction
Head coach Wilfried Nancy explained in his post-match press conference how his team was able to dominate from start to finish and secure the win.
“We were really good, they needed to adjust and they weren’t able to and we made it difficult for them and that’s why we were able to play a great game and get the win.”
https://twitter.com/cfmontreal/status/1529616571634798595
Player reaction
Ibrahim Sunusi who led his team with the three goals spoke about the fact that he hasn’t been playing much this year but continues to work towards playing consistently.
“It’s not easy, this year has been tough compared to last year but I keep telling myself to keep working hard and hard work is always needed to get better and I rely a lot on the help of Kei Kamara who has helped me a lot since he arrived here.”
The win means Montreal will face Toronto FC in the semifinals and will be on the road at BMO Field at the end of June but will resume the MLS season this Saturday night as they will host FC Cincinnati at Saputo Stadium.
