May 18, 2024 – Canadian Premier League (CPL)
Atletico Ottawa press release
Atletico Ottawa extended its unbeaten streak to six games to start the 2024 Canadian Premier League season with a 1-0 win over Pacific on Friday at Starlight Stadium.
This also moved them to the top of the CPL, having tied for first place with Pacific at the weekend. Speaking of Pacific, they suffered their first loss of the season in this match, conceding their first goal after keeping clean sheets in each of their first five games, and that streak also remains their CPL record for most games without conceding a goal. .
After a number of early chances failed to reach the target for Ottawa, they were able to test Pacific’s Emil Gazdov for the first time in the 15th minute when Ollie Bassett attempted a dangerous free kick from just outside the penalty box. There he almost found the top corner with a curling strike but was denied by a fine save from Gazdov, before Ruben del Campo slotted the ball just over the top from a subsequent scramble from the original rebound.
At the other end, Pacific’s Andrei Tîrcoveanu, who was brought into the game early from the bench after Adonijah Reid was injured, almost opened the scoring after a fine Dario Zanatta cut inside the box, but he sent his ball away. A shot that goes well over the goal from close range.
To break Pacific’s goal, Ottawa continued to threaten from set pieces. Bassett found del Campo with a perfectly outswinging corner, but the Ottawa forward’s header was deflected just over the goal to keep the game at 0-0.
But Del Campo, in excellent form heading into this game, was not to be denied as he opened the scoring for Atletico Ottawa in the 33rd minute on the next attack. There he quickly took in Maxim Tissot’s cross before firing the ball at the far post to net a half-volley, becoming the first player to cross Pacific’s net this CPL season, and doing so in style.
Hoping to double his side’s lead, Bassett was called into action in the 34th minute, firing a dangerous low shot after being teed up by Del Campo, but the 2023 Golden Boot joint winner sent his shot just wide of the post. post.
Meanwhile, Tircoveanu tried to make up for his earlier miss with a dangerous free-kick in first-half stoppage time, but while he struck the ball well, his shot flew just over the bar.
After halftime, Ottawa came out looking to double their lead, and almost had some chaotic play in the 51st minute. After Tissot’s dangerous cross, Christian Greco-Taylor almost netted it into his own net before making a great goal-line clearance, but the ball went straight to Kris Twardek. Twardek) delivered a dangerous strike that Greco-Taylor had to block again. line to keep the game 1-0.
Meanwhile, Pacific, after a period of pressure and strong possession, Kunle Dada-Luke found Zanatta with a perfect cross in the 60th minute, but his header was easily saved by Rayane Yesli in the Ottawa goal.
After several half-chances at both ends, Pacific came close to an equalizer in the 83rd minute. Zanatta looked certain to level the game with a header after Thomas Meilleur-Giguère delivered a dangerous cross into the box, but the header went well over the mark and was subsequently whistled for offside.
But next time the opportunity comes, Zanatta will be much closer to finding his target. After sneaking behind the Ottawa defense, he fired a shot from a tight angle that caught Yesli by surprise and hit the post, but luckily for the Ottawa goalie, the ball fell straight into his hands.
From there, that was all Pacific could muster and Ottawa was able to go home with all three points, making them the top team in the CPL thanks to their efforts.
lineup
Pacific FC: Gazdov; Dada-Luke, Meilleur-Giguère, Ndom (Greco-Taylor 5′), Lajeunesse; Yeats, Toussaint, Young (Lamothe 35′); Zanata, Reed (Tîrcoveanu 11′), Herd
Atlético Ottawa: Yesli, Twardek, Didic, Singh, Tisso; Sissoko (from Brienne 62′), Zapater, Aparicio, Bassett (Antinoro 90+3); Tabla (More 86′) by Field (Salter 86′)
target
33′ – Ruben del Campo (Atletico Ottawa)
discipline
29′ – Yellow: Andrej Tirkoveanu (Pacific FC)
39′ – Yellow: Ruben del Campo (Atletico Ottawa)
45+4′ – Yellow: Luke Singh (Atletico Ottawa)
47′ – Yellow: Rayane Yesli (Atletico Ottawa)
49′ – Yellow: Josh Hurd (Pacific FC)
70′ – Yellow: Christian Greco-Taylor (Pacific FC)
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