It was a wild and chaotic top-of-the-table clash at TD Place on Friday night from which Atlético Ottawa emerged the victors, as they traded leads with Forge FC multiple times en route to an exhilarating 4-3 win in the nation’s capital.

The two managers, well familiar with one another, each made some interesting changes to their sides for this clash. Atleti’s Carlos González opted to drop Ollie Bassett to the bench and instead bring Gabriel Antinoro into the XI.

Bobby Smyrniotis, meanwhile, made more drastic changes to his lineup, especially with Tristan Borges suspended. Malik Owolabi-Belewu came in at left-back, which meant a surprising turn in midfield for Daniel Parra. Noah Jensen made just his third start of the season, as captain Kyle Bekker went to the bench for this one.

Before either side had even a chance to settle into the game, the hosts shocked Forge with an early opening goal 90 seconds in. Antinoro won a free kick a little outside the penalty area, then delivered the set-piece to a good spot behind the defence. Former Forge midfielder Aboubacar Sissoko got free and tracked the ball well, showing off some acrobatics to volley it backward over his own head and into the net.

Ottawa’s fortunes turned a few minutes later though, as star attacker Ballou Tabla began labouring with an injury. When the game was barely 10 minutes old, Atleti were therefore forced to bring Bassett into the game far earlier than anticipated, with Tabla unable to continue.

Neither side caused significant danger through the rest of the first half, although Ottawa did produce far more opportunities but couldn’t beat Chris Kalongo again.

Needing to find a boost for his side at halftime, Smyrniotis made one change at the interval, bringing the pacier Malcolm Duncan in at right-back in place of Dominic Samuel.

Forge got themselves back in the game almost right away after the second half resumed. David Choinière worked tirelessly to chase down a ball trickling toward the end line, and he flicked it back toward the six-yard box. Ottawa defender Luke Singh redirected it with his chest the wrong way, straight into his own net for the equalizer.

In an astonishing flash, Forge found themselves in the lead just 10 minutes after halftime. They worked a clever routine from a corner kick that saw Choinière send it across the box to an unmarked Alex Achinioti-Jönsson, who jumped to head it from considerable distance into the net.

Yet again though, the script flipped before long; it took Ottawa just seven minutes to find an equalizer of their own. They won a free kick just inside the Forge half, which Bassett lumped toward the box. Amer Didic climbed high above his markers to get under the ball and nod it expertly over Kalongo and in to make it 2-2.

That still wouldn’t be the final chapter written, as Ottawa went on to seize the lead once again in the 70th minute. Dani Morer, recently entering as a substitute, whipped the ball in from the right for Rubén del Campo, who knocked it to Sam Salter with a headed flick. Salter settled the ball and put it back at Del Campo’s feet, and the Swiss forward made no mistake with a left-footed finish inside the left goalpost.

As the clock ticked toward 90 and it seemed like things had, finally, settled down, Forge had one more wrinkle to add. Ottawa midfielder Liberman Torres mishandled a pass near his own box, giving it away to Kwasi Poku near the penalty spot. The reigning CPL Player of the Week made no mistake pouncing on the gift and scoring his fourth goal in three games, bringing Forge back to level footing again.

Torres found almost instant redemption, though. Seconds before the end of stoppage time, Morer came bursting down the right and fed another excellent cross into the box, where Torres was barrelling at full speed to get his head powerfully on the. ball and score a jaw-dropping winner.

It was a roller-coaster, but in the end, the game finished the way it began: with Atlético Ottawa in front. The hosts, almost a year removed from a similarly chaotic 4-3 loss at Tim Hortons Field, thus kept themselves comfortably in first place in the CPL, extending their lead atop the table to seven points.

BOX SCORE

Lineups

Atlético Ottawa: Ingham; Twardek, Didic, Singh, De Brienne; Tabla (Bassett 12′), Zapater (Morer 61′), Aparicio, Antinoro (Salter 61′); Sissoko (Torres 81′), Del Campo

Forge FC: Kalongo; Samuel (Duncan 46′), Achinioti-Jönsson, Metusala (Tavernier 85′), Owolabi-Belewu; Jensen (Bekker 73′), Hojabrpour, Parra; Choinière, Poku, Badibanga

Goals

2′ — Aboubacar Sissoko (Atlético Ottawa)
48′ — Luke Singh (Atlético Ottawa) (Own Goal)
56′ — Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson (Forge FC)
62′ — Amer Didic (Atlético Ottawa)
70′ — Rubén del Campo (Atlético Ottawa)
88′ — Kwasi Poku (Forge FC)
90+3′ — Liberman Torres (Atlético Ottawa)

Discipline

41′ — Yellow: Dominic Samuel (Forge FC)
57′ — Yellow: Nathan Ingham (Atlético Ottawa)
64′ — Yellow: David Choinière (Forge FC)
81′ — Yellow: Aboubacar Sissoko (Atlético Ottawa)
86′ — Yellow: Manny Aparicio (Atlético Ottawa)