Forge FC wins Canadian Championship, first CPL team to claim trophy

MONTREAL — Dimitry Bertaud saved three penalty kicks to help Forge FC become the first Canadian Premier League side to win the Canadian Championship on Wednesday night at Stade Saputo.

After the teams remained tied 1-1 after extra time, Manjrekar James scored the winner to silence the crowd and give Forge a 4-2 win in the shootout.

"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."

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Antoine Batisse scored late in the first half for Forge. Daniel Rios notched the equalizer shortly after the halftime break for Montreal.

Tristan Borges, Ben Paton and Daniel Nimick had the other goals for Forge in the shootout. Matty Longstaff and Daniel Perreira scored for Montreal.

Daniël Krutzen was the only Forge player who failed to convert from the spot. Prince Owusu, who missed a penalty earlier in the game, and Gennadiy Synchuk missed for the Major League Soccer side.

Montreal controlled for stretches of the game and generated several strong scoring opportunities. In the 21st minute, Montreal’s pressure finally paid off when James brought down Owusu in the penalty area. Bertaud stood tall and made a decisive save on the ensuing penalty.

That opened the door for Forge to take a surprise lead in the sixth minute of added time. Noah Jensen sent in a strong corner towards the first post that was met by Batisse, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead against the run of play.

"Before the game, I told everyone that I want us to be remembered as the first CPL team to lift that trophy," said Jensen.

Montreal opened the second half with renewed energy and found an equalizer after just four minutes. The home side's momentum was cut short when Brayan Vera was sent off after receiving a second yellow for simulation.

The first 20 minutes of extra time produced very little in the way of offence before Montreal had the best scoring opportunity of the night. Luca Petrasso intercepted the ball and carried it more than 60 yards before laying it off to Noah Streit, who could not hit the target from a point-blank shot.

There was controversy on the Montreal side before the shootout began as Chilean star Alexis Sanchez and goalkeeper Samsy Keita were supposed to be subbed on before the end of extra time, but the changes could not be made in time.

"We played with the best 11," said Montreal interim coach Phillipe Eullaffroy. "With regards to Alexis, I tried to find a creative way to not only bring him into the game, but do it in a way that can make a difference."

The victory gave Forge FC a berth in the 2027 CONCACAF Champions Cup. It was the third year in a row that Forge eliminated Montreal from the Canadian Championship.

Up next: Montreal will try to keep its faint playoff hopes alive at home against Nashville SC on Saturday, while Forge will close out their CPL campaign on the road against Pacific FC on Sunday.

With files from The Canadian Press, CBC News and Sportsnet