Final report From the match between Forge FC vs Pacific FC
📆 | Sunday, July 14.
🕦 |Match start time 7:00 PM
🆚 | Pacific FC
🏟️ | Tim Hortons Field
Forge FC completed the comeback in Hamilton on Sunday night, defeating Pacific FC 2-1.After Pacific’s Ayman Sellouf opened the scoring from the penalty spot, a double by Kwasi Poku gave Forge the victory. Poku now has six goals in the last five games and is the most in-form striker in the CPL at the moment.With the victory, Forge rises to third place in the table, while Pacific FC falls to fifth place, still only two points above Cavalry FC in the fight for the last playoff spot.Pacific had a big chance in the first two minutes, when captain Josh Heard broke through the Forge backline and fired a floater just wide of Chris Kalongo’s left post.However, the hosts dominated possession thereafter and had a few chances of their own around the 13th minute, when David Choinière was twice isolated on the right and looked for Poku in the middle, but was unable to connect with either. In the 22nd minute, Choinière went alone, but his shot from above the area went wide of the post.However, the visitors weathered the storm and in the 32nd minute created their own chance. Sellouf played Reon Moore on the right, who was brought down in the box by Forge’s Malik Owolabi-Belewu. Sellouf then stepped up and converted the resulting penalty from the penalty spot, giving the visitors an improbable 1-0 lead. It was his league-leading third penalty goal of the season.Just before half-time, Béni Badibanga forced a good save from Pacific’s Emil Gazdov on a well-taken free kick, which the goalkeeper tipped over the bar. The score remained 1-0 at half-time, despite the home team having the vast majority of the ball.Forge struck almost immediately at the start of the second half, Tristan Borges played a beautiful cross into the box on the right flank, which Poku extended to deflect the post and tie the game at 1-1.Poku put the ball in the back of the net again just four minutes later with a header from close range, but this time he was offside.With both teams tired from their midweek clashes for the Canadian Championship, they made double substitutions around the hour mark, with Pacific changing their midfield and bringing in Cédric Toussaint and Pierre Lamothe, and Forge adding Nana Ampomah and Noah Jensen to mix.Poku came incredibly close again in the 71st minute, when Jensen made a clever cross from outside the goal into the box, but the Forge striker’s header was parried away by Gazdov. The rebound fell well for Borges, but his low effort was easily taken advantage of by Pacífico.goalie.Looking to win late, Forge kept pushing. They forced another good save from Gazdov in the 82nd minute after a volley from Ampomah.However, in the next corner, Forge scored the winning goal. Daniel Parra put the center wide into the path of Poku, who completed his double to make it 2-1 for the hosts.After allowing late goals in each of their last three games in all competitions, Forge held on and were able to claim their fifth home win of the season. That is tied with York United for most in the league.
