CF Montreal advances to Canadian Championship final with win over Forge FC

Forge FC's Manjrekar James (5), left, and CF Montreal's Chinonso Offor (9) battle for the ball during second half Canadian Championship semifinal soccer action in Montreal on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Allen McInnis

CF Montreal will play in their third Canadian Championship final in five years after beating Forge FC 2-0 at Stade Saputo on Wednesday evening.

Ariel Lassiter and Sunusi Ibrahim were the goal scorers as Montreal beat Forge in the tournament for the third consecutive year.

Despite a slow start to the game, Montreal controlled the ball for the majority of the first half. Forge lined up with two compact banks of four in an effort to frustrate any oncoming attacks with great success.

Forge were the first side to create a scoring chance about half an hour into the game, despite the possession disparity.

David Choinière picked up the ball at midfield and made a darting run down the middle, setting up Woobens Pacius who put a low shot wide from a tough angle for the Hamilton side.

Montreal has made a habit of starting games at home with a lack of pace, opting to feel out its opponent and make adjustments in the second half.

This was once again the case on Wednesday, as the home side wasted no time getting forward and taking the lead out of halftime.

Lassiter cut into the middle of the field from 30 yards out and sent the ball toward the net. The weak shot was then deflected by Forge midfielder Alessandro Hojabrpour and found its way into the bottom corner for Lassiter’s first goal since moving to Montreal from Inter Miami in April.

In the ensuing ten minutes, Chinonso Offor had two golden opportunities to double Montreal’s lead but could not convert.

Offor found himself all alone in front of goal on both occasions, needing only to hit the target, but sent the ball over the bar.

As the chances continued, Forge goalkeeper Triston Henry kept his side in the game, making an incredible point-blank stop on Offor at the 70-minute mark.

Montreal finally capitalized on its chances with 10 minutes left, putting the game beyond Forge’s grasp at 2-0.

After winning the ball in the penalty area, Ibrahim made a swift cut to the right and hit a powerful shot into the corner to double Montreal’s lead.

Montreal will now have to wait until early June for the final, where it will travel to British Columbia to face the winner of Wednesday's matchup between the Vancouver Whitecaps and Pacific FC for the Voyageurs Cup.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 24, 2023.