Final Score: York United FC 1-1 Valour FC
Goalscorers: Jimoh 19′; Hundal 44′
Game of the 2024 season: 88
CPL match: 572

Match in a minute or less

York United and Valour FC shared the spoils on Friday night in a 1-1 draw at York Lions Stadium, as both sides scored in the first half and couldn’t solve the other after the break.

The Nine Stripes opened the scoring just before the 20th minute, as 16-year-old Shola Jimoh got on the end of an excellent pass from Juan Córdova to score his second professional goal.

Valour responded shortly before halftime in a quick transition, Shaan Hundal scoring his second in as many games by finishing a good cross from Jordan Faria.

York controlled much of the ball in the second half but couldn’t break through, nor could Valour although Diogo Ressurreição came close to scoring with a chip from 60 yards out in stoppage time.

So, the two sides had no choice but to settle for a draw.

Three Observations

York dominate the ball but can’t find right moment for second goal

Were it not for the one breakdown in defence before halftime, this could have been a relatively comprehensive win for York United. They were good in possession, commanding a hair under 60 per cent of the ball over the course of the match. They had a whopping 68 entries into the final third and 28 touches in the box (compared to 34 and eight for Valour), and 11 shots, but they remained unable to find the net a second time.

York very rarely seemed threatened by Valour, especially in the second half — Diogo Ressurreição’s last-second attempt from inside his own halfway line notwithstanding — and they deserve a lot of credit for their movement off the ball to take away transitional opportunities and suffocate.

The home side held Valour to just two shots in the second half, and only two shots from inside the box for the entire game.

In midfield, York were dominant; Elijah Adekugbe’s role in particular was worth noting. After York had played most of their games under Benjamín Mora in a back three, circumstances (that is, injuries to Noah Abatneh and Frank Sturing) dictated that they had to adapt. The backline was a hybrid between a back four and five — in defence, Adekugbe would step back into a right centre-back role, but in possession or when York was pressing he would be in midfield.

Adekugbe covered acres of ground, tirelessly running to add pressure on the ball or track Valour’s runners. Meanwhile, Santiago Márquez put in arguably his best performance yet for York, with a team-high 95 per cent passing accuracy, three successful dribbles and five out of six duels won.

Nine Stripes head coach Benjamín Mora was very happy with his side’s performance for the most part, acknowledging all their statistical advantages.

“We won the game,” Mora said. “We were better in possession, we were better in defence, we were better as a team, we were better in the duels. The scoreboard is a draw. I think sometimes it happens in football, when you do everything to win the game and then you just can’t put it in the net.”

York will undoubtedly be frustrated that they got no more than a point from this game. It’s a time of year where teams are desperate for three points, especially a side like York embroiled in a regular season title race. Moving up to 36 points, they remain behind Atlético Ottawa (37) and Forge FC (41), before either of those sides have played yet this weekend.

With five games to go, the margins are thin, and York will be desperate for all three points against Cavalry next week.

Valour remain hard to beat but don’t offer much in attack

In the space of five days, Valour FC have taken a point off of two of the CPL’s top three teams. They were largely the better side on Monday against Atlético Ottawa and unfortunate not to get all three points; this time, they perhaps weren’t deserving of the win, but they did well enough to get a result at York Lions Stadium.

Indeed, despite a disadvantage in possession and shots, Valour came centimetres from winning the game with the last moment of stoppage time when Ressurreição just barely missed with a chipped attempt from well inside his own half.

While a draw at York is a decent result, though, Valour will be a little disappointed with the performance on Friday night, where they were dominated in most statistical categories — other than the final score, of course. They largely did well defensively in the final moments, making 11 interceptions and a whopping 28 clearances, indicating a preference for kicking the ball to safety if counter-attack chances didn’t appear.

Those opportunities to attack didn’t present themselves very often; York did very well restricting spaces and didn’t often give the ball away in areas where they’d be vulnerable to the counter.

Head coach Phil Dos Santos maintained a positive outlook after the match, but acknowledged that his side had struggled to properly break in transition.

“Our link-up play in those moments, our being able to play out of pressure with a bit more security to break the opposition and get out on the counter, is vital,” Dos Santos said. “When you spend so much time defending like we did, especially in the second half and about 20 or 25 minutes of the first half, you lose a little bit of clarity. The guys do a lot of running without the ball; I have to highlight the off-the-ball movement of York was very good tonight and it caused us a lot of problems, and then our players lose a little bit of clarity and quality in getting out of pressure.”

Still, there is a lot for Valour to play for in their final five matches. If Vancouver FC lose to Pacific FC on Saturday they’ll be three points out of a playoff spot, which is far from insurmountable.

“There’s going to be difficult moments,” Dos Santos added, “and the important thing is that the guys stay resilient and keep fighting, and find ways, even when things don’t look to be going your way, to protect the goal well, and that we try and get out of a place like this with points.”

Teenage sensation Shola Jimoh a ‘handful’ in first pro start, rightful goalscorer

It’s not the first time York United’s teenage phenom has taken the spotlight this year, but this was certainly Shola Jimoh’s most comprehensive display of his abilities.

The 16-year-old made his first professional start on Friday night and was an instant sparkplug in York’s attack. He lined up generally on the right side of a front three, but he went looking for space all across the pitch, darting in and out of lanes between Valour’s backline and lower midfield.

Jimoh scored his second goal for York United less than 20 minutes into this one, and although his one-touch finish might not have been the flashiest part of the play, the finish — along with a well-spaced run to get himself open in the box — was evidence of his quality and confidence.

GOAL 👑@YorkUtdFC open the scoring vs. @ValourFootball as 16-year-old Shola Jimoh gets his second #CanPL goal 😎

🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/lTNyaj8hxD

— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 14, 2024

He was lively all night, finding seven touches in the box, taking on four dribbles and making two successful tackles. Jimoh even earned the praise of the opposition’s coach; Phil Dos Santos called him a “handful” after the game.

“Scoring at home was a big dream of mine,” Jimoh told reporters after the match. “A short term dream, and I’m really happy that I achieved it. At school today I was telling all my friends I was going to score, and I did.”

The future is extremely bright for Jimoh, who at his young age is already an accomplished professional. Mora had plenty of praise for his talent and quality in attack postmatch, acknowledging Jimoh does have some filling out to do and can sharpen his defensive skills, but early returns on the Exceptional Young Talent contract are undoubtedly impressive.

CanPL.ca Player of the Match

Elijah Adekugbe, York United

Playing in a hybrid midfield and defensive role, Adekugbe seemed to be everywhere, leading the match with 105 touches. He made 90 out of 96 passes accurately, and won five duels and three tackles.

What’s next?

York will remain at home after this, as they host Cavalry FC at York Lions Stadium next Friday, Sept. 20 (8 p.m. ET). Valour will likewise be at home next, taking on Halifax Wanderers FC in Winnipeg on Saturday, Sept. 21 (2 p.m. CT/3 p.m. ET).