Final Score: Halifax Wanderers 3-2 Atlético Ottawa
Goalscorers: Ferrin 49′, Perruza 56′, Giraldo 90+2′; Salter 13′, 90+1′
Game of the 2023 season: 99
CPL match: 466

Match in a minute or less

In perhaps the most spectacularly dramatic match of the CPL season to date, Halifax Wanderers returned to the win column at home on Monday as they defeated Atlético Ottawa 3-2 in a game that can hardly be adequately described in words.

After Atleti took the lead early thanks to former Wanderer Samuel Salter, whose shot from distance beat Yann Fillion to trickle in. After halftime, though, the match turned fully on its head as Halifax scored twice in just over 15 minutes — first from Massimo Ferrin, and then from Jordan Perruzza on the end of an exceptional ball by Lorenzo Callegari.

Ottawa fought desperately to get back into the game, and at — almost — the last moment they found the net again, as Salter’s shot from the top of the box skipped off Cale Loughrey and in for what looked like a last-minute equalizer. Immediately after kickoff, though, the Wanderers decided there was to be one last dramatic twist. They came flying up the other end and Zach Fernandez played it into the box, finding Tomas Giraldo for the winner.

When the dust settles, Halifax will sit alone in fourth place, and now a three-point cushion over Ottawa.

Three Observations

Theatre at Wanderers Grounds as playoff spot rivals take swings for three points

Much had been made of the stakes of this game, with Halifax and Ottawa entering tied in the standings for fourth and fifth place (the last two playoff spots), and York United just one point behind. It was immediately evident from kickoff — but especially so in the second half — that a draw absolutely would not do for either team.

Ottawa took the lead quite early and for long stretches after that they seemed perhaps destined to add to that lead and maybe even run away with what could’ve ended up a season-defining away win.

That was not, in fact, how it ended up. The way Halifax came out after halftime, it was immediately obvious that they were on the hunt for two goals rather than just an equalizer.

“At halftime we spoke that we’re not here to just grab a goal and get a point,” Halifax’s Massimo Ferrin said postmatch. “We want to go and score two, or if it takes three, four, whatever; we want to go win this game. That was the message at halftime… Obviously with so many teams being so close together, these games when you play one of the teams that’s one above you or one below you in the standings, there’s a little bit more incentive to really get that result to either get a little bit of breathing room or catch another team above you.”

TOMAS GIRALDO GIVES @HFXWANDERERSFC THE LEAD!

After conceding in stoppage time, the Wanderers go the other way and re-take the lead!#CanPL I 📺 @onesoccer pic.twitter.com/vYQpaiqz4J

— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) September 19, 2023

The Wanderers took the lead and after that looked set to see out the win on home soil, perhaps trying to find an insurance goal on the counter — but above all, protecting that lead desperately. Even the equalizer they conceded late had signs of that desperation; Doneil Henry throwing himself in front of Salter twice nearly stopped that goal.

When Ottawa did score, and the game seemed destined for a draw after Halifax had done so well defending for 30 minutes, the Wanderers might well have been deflated and shuffled back to the halfway line to kick off.

That’s not what happened, though, with Zach Fernandez deserving specific credit for how quickly he played down the left side, combining with Armando Wilson then doing incredibly well to get around a defender and enter the box — at which point the Wanderers Ground came to life very quickly as the whole crowd sat bolt upright once again. Seconds later, jubilation.

Similarly, Ottawa didn’t give up at that point either; they lined up seven or eight men along the halfway line for kickoff, almost like a gridiron football team preparing for an onside kick. They probably had more time than they thought, with still about three minutes of stoppage time left, but they opted for a desperation play with a shot from the centre circle looking to create a loose ball.

It’s possible that Giraldo’s goal may be the biggest in Wanderers history so far — at least, it might be, if they can hold on and remain in the top four. The club has never played a home playoff match, and after a night like Monday, it’s obvious how much they’d love to do so this season.

This game absolutely lived up to its billing, and will likely go down as a top moment of the 2023 season. Will it, though, be a season-defining moment for both these clubs, pushing them on opposite trajectories? The next few weeks will tell.

Wanderers dig deep after sloppy first half for impressive comeback win

The Wanderers were, at times, their own worst enemies in this game, particularly in the first half.

They went into the locker room at halftime having had 62.5 per cent possession but being outshot 10-2 and losing 1-0. Miscommunications, heavy touches and uncharacteristic errors were recurring problems for Halifax early on, as they allowed Ottawa to cause major problems on the counter as well.

Samuel Salter’s goal was, of course, one that goalkeeper Yann Fillion will want back, but he was far from the only one to make costly mistakes in the first half. Three Halifax players — Riley Ferrazzo, Massimo Ferrin and Aidan Daniels — gave the ball away 10 or more times in the first half alone, and the whole team’s passing accuracy in the final third (on 69 attempts) was just 62.3 per cent.

The Wanderers also won just 34.8 per cent of duels in the first half — and 18.2 per cent of aerial duels — as Ottawa seemed consistently able to win the ball and didn’t seem particularly troubled by much Halifax were doing in attack.

After halftime, though? Everything changed.

In the latter 45 minutes, suddenly it was the Wanderers winning more than 60 per cent of the duels. They were pressing high, they were getting the ball back in the attacking half, and they were playing it quickly to dangerous areas.

Jordan Perruzza gives @HFXWanderersFC the lead!

What a pass as well 🎯#CanPL I 📺 @onesoccer pic.twitter.com/vtago9ea6x

— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) September 18, 2023

This isn’t the first time the Wanderers have had a magical night like this at home this season. Their win over Forge, for instance, was similar — Kyle Bekker equalized just before stoppage time, only for Halifax to win a last-second penalty that Dan Nimick scored to retain all three points.

There’s a lot to like about that never-say-die attitude in Halifax, who have learned a lot this year from games where they’ve conceded late goals to drop points. Now, late in the season, they seem to be reversing that tide and playing with some impressive resilience.

According to Gheisar, that never-say-die attitude has been built in the painful moments.

“That kind of attitude — when you’re interviewing players and recruiting them, and you ask, ‘Hey, are you resilient?’ you don’t find a lot of people that say no, even if they don’t have it,” Gheisar said. “Are you a guy that never gives up? ‘Never.’ But we all know that those guys are far and few. It’s built over three, four, five months for us to go through the pain and agony and learn to be here.

“I read an article yesterday on the New Zealand All Blacks coach that said, we all play the sport in our minds all to win, but in fact the takeaway from losses is even greater. You learn to hate that feeling, and you don’t want it to come back. Belief is something that’s slowly building more and more in our group.”

If they can continue to produce moments like this, it’ll be hard to count Halifax out in October.

Ottawa’s composure fades after strong first half; resurgence too little too late

The first half was shaping to be one of Atlético Ottawa’s best away performances of the season, and at the best possible time. They won the ball, they kept Halifax away from the most dangerous areas, and they counter-attacked with the speed and aggression that has been a hallmark of their most impressive moments under Carlos González.

After that first 45 minutes, though, things began to fall apart. Ottawa’s passing became sloppier, and as the Wanderers pressed higher the visitors had more trouble getting out of their own half, giving the ball away with greater frequency.

Technically, Atleti lost the game in the 93rd minute thanks to Giraldo’s goal. But González was not pleased with his side, and likely wouldn’t have been particularly satisfied even if Salter’s late goal had stolen them a point. According to him, Ottawa lost in the first 10 minutes of the second half.

“We did a good first half, but in the second half we disconnected,” he said postmatch. “We made big mistakes in situations that we corrected in halftime, that we were speaking about, because the only threats we were having from Halifax were those situations, inside passes and diagonal runs. If you don’t give steps forward it’s very difficult.”

Indeed, Ferrin’s equalizer was one of those inside passes that Ottawa had fended off so much better in the first half, and Perruzza’s goal was the result of a diagonal run where he snuck in behind Luke Singh.

González, looking for two goals from the final half-hour, made some drastic substitutions, bringing on a second striker in Malcolm Shaw to complement Salter — and then, more surprisingly, taking off Golden Boot leader and possible Player of the Year candidate Ollie Bassett in exchange for a third striker, Rubén del Campo.

“We were looking for energy and Ollie didn’t have energy in that moment,” González said of his changes. “We were looking for more targets that we could reach in a more vertical way, find spots of dangerous situations in a faster way. We were looking for more offensive people in the lineup, but we knew maybe the game will be starting to be a little bit unbalanced and loose at moment, but these were the risks we should take in that moment, so we did.”

Instead, for the third time in four games, Ottawa have been defeated by a late goal in stoppage time. Heartbreak has been a familiar feeling for Atleti fans in recent weeks.

This loss puts Ottawa very much behind the eight-ball in the playoff race. They have three games left, but just one at home — this coming weekend against Valour. That game will essentially be a must-win for Atleti if they’re to stand any chance of returning to TD Place in the playoffs.

CanPL.ca Player of the Match

Zachary Fernandez, Halifax Wanderers

The Halifax fullback — playing in his less comfortable position on the left — was outstanding, helping spring many of his team’s best attacking moves, and he was the engine providing the assist behind their last-minute game-winning goal. He also had three interceptions and three clearances on the defensive side, with a 90.1 per cent pass accuracy (and a team-high 86.7 in the final third).

What’s next?

Halifax will head out on the road, going all the way to the west coast to take on Vancouver FC on Saturday, Sept. 23 (1 p.m. PT/4 p.m. ET). Ottawa, meanwhile, return home for a date on Sunday afternoon against Valour FC. (2 p.m. ET).

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