Forge FC beats CF Montreal in penalties to win first Canadian Championship for CPL

MONTREAL · Forge FC made history on Wednesday night, becoming the first Canadian Premier League club to win the Canadian Championship by defeating CF Montreal 4-2 in a penalty shootout. The Hamilton side prevailed after the match ended 1-1 following 120 minutes of play at Stade Saputo. Goalkeeper Dimitry Bertaud was the hero, saving three penalty kicks including two in the decisive shootout. Manjrekar James scored the winning spot kick to silence the home crowd and secure the Voyageurs Cup for Forge.

Montreal, the Major League Soccer side, controlled the early phases and earned a penalty in the 21st minute when James brought down Prince Owusu in the box. Bertaud stood tall to deny Owusu's spot kick, keeping the game scoreless. Forge then stunned the hosts against the run of play in first-half stoppage time. Antoine Batisse rose to head in a Noah Jensen corner, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead at the break.

The hosts responded quickly after halftime, levelling the contest just four minutes into the second half. Daniel Rios nodded a Fabian Herbers cross beyond Bertaud to tie the game at 1-1. Montreal's momentum was cut short five minutes later when Brayan Vera received a second yellow card for simulation and was sent off, reducing the home side to 10 men. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Montreal created the more dangerous chances, with Bertaud twice more denying Owusu to preserve the tie. Benjamin Paton hit the bar with a curling effort late in extra time for Forge. Controversy struck Montreal before the shootout as planned substitutions for star Alexis Sanchez and goalkeeper Samsy Keita could not be made before the end of extra time.

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In the shootout, Bertaud saved two of Montreal's first three attempts, including another from Owusu. Tristan Borges, Ben Paton and Daniel Nimick converted for Forge, while Daniël Krutzen was the only Forge player to miss. James stepped up to take the final penalty, placing it into the bottom corner to seal the 4-2 shootout win. "For us, every time is an opportunity," said Forge head coach Bobby Smyrniotis. "We've won trophies, and this is a trophy that we've come close to, and it's very important for our club."

It was the third consecutive year Forge eliminated Montreal from the Canadian Championship. The victory secured Forge a berth in the 2027 CONCACAF Champions Cup. Forge, the four-time CPL playoff winner, became the fourth different club to lift the Voyageurs Cup after Toronto FC, Montreal and the Vancouver Whitecaps. Jensen said he told his teammates before the game he wanted them to be remembered as the first CPL team to lift the trophy.

The result is a landmark for the CPL, which began play in 2019. Forge had seven Canadians in its starting lineup, and four of its five penalty takers were Canadian. Montreal interim coach Phillipe Eullaffroy defended his lineup decisions, saying he played with the best 11 and tried to find a creative way to use Sanchez. The loss was a disappointing end for Montreal, which sits bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference and has four games left in its season. Up next: Forge closes out its CPL regular season on the road against Pacific FC on Sunday. Montreal tries to keep its faint playoff hopes alive at home against Nashville SC on Saturday.

With files from Sportsnet, CBC News and The Globe and Mail