Final Score: Forge FC 2-1 Toronto FC
Goalscorers: Badibanga 11′, Poku 14′; Owusu 88′
2024 TELUS Canadian Championship — Semifinal (Leg 1)
Match in a minute or less
Forge FC pulled in front of this Canadian Championship semifinal tie on a rainy Wednesday night, defeating Toronto FC 2-1 at Tim Hortons Field to take the lead on aggregate ahead of the second leg. The Canadian Premier League side stunned their Major League Soccer foes early, as Béni Badibanga won the ball in his own half and attempted an outrageous shot from well over halfway, catching goalkeeper Luka Gavran off his line to score in the 11th minute. Kwasi Poku doubled Forge’s lead just three minutes later, with a gorgeous flick to finish off David Choinière’s cross and send the home crowd into a frenzy. TFC pulled back an away goal late in the contest, but Forge held on to a one-goal lead as they’ll now have an advantage heading into the reverse fixture at BMO Field in August. After Forge’s win over CF Montréal in the quarter-finals they’ve now won games in a row against MLS sides in the Canadian Championship — and the CPL is now on a three-game streak against MLS opposition including Cavalry’s 1-0 win over 90 minutes against the Whitecaps.
Three Observations
Forge dazzle with moments of individual brilliance to take aggregate lead
Whatever Toronto FC expected in this game, it was not that they’d be down 2-0 within the first 15 minutes. Forge didn’t necessarily blow them out of the water from kickoff, either; in fact, TFC had more of the ball and tested Forge a few times, but as is so often the case in football, one signature moment turned the entire dynamic of the match on its head. Even that moment came from a phase of TFC penetration in Forge’s half; Federico Bernardeschi gave the ball away to Béni Badibanga, who seemed to have a better vision of the whole pitch than anybody else as he took a couple of touches into midfield, raised his head, and — from even before the central circle in his own half — lifted a shot over the head of goalkeeper Luka Gavran, scrambling back toward his net but not in time. The Forge winger, not for the first time, scored a highlight-reel goal in a massive game for his side. The part Forge deserve the most credit for, as a collective, was that they sensed vulnerability after they took the lead. TFC were so stunned and out of sorts after the first goal, which gave Forge the invitation they needed to play more aggressively for a stretch. David Choinière drove toward the end line as he so often does, and Kwasi Poku made a perfect run into space near the top of the six-yard box, showing off his skillset with his lovely little flicked finish.
This isn’t the only time that Forge have produced a major victory on the back of some moments of brilliance. It was true in the 2023 CPL Final, and in several of their Concacaf League triumphs. Likewise with Poku’s winner in Montréal. That’s no coincidence; rather, it’s part of the club’s identity, and fits into one of Smyrniotis’ most deeply-held philosophies: Forge must have a certain degree of flair to their game. “A coach that I look up to in global football, Marcelo Bielsa, said it best this past week that we’re losing creativity in the game,” Smyrniotis said. “It’s becoming about the result. We need players like Badibanga in the game, that’s what people want to come to watch at all levels of the game. We need to be creative, we need to play football. This is a sport for the people. The results, we come and go. This game needs entertaining football.” Forge have produced more than their fair share of entertaining football over the last few years, and they continued to do so on Wednesday. When they have needed heroes to step up, more of than not they’ve found them; whether it’s been Tristan Borges in a CPL Final (twice), David Choinière in a Concacaf game, or anyone else in a major knockout game, Forge’s individual talent has shone through.
Forge pour it on, rue missed chances and late away goal
Just as there was a golden opportunity for a “weathered the storm” metaphor after Forge’s second-leg win over CF Montréal, this match provided an opening for similarly egregious weather-related wordplay. As the skies opened up at halftime and rain began to pour on and off for minutes at a time, so too did Forge launch a flood of attacks toward the TFC goal in an effort to make the most of their home leg. Although the shot count favoured Toronto in the second frame, the quality of Forge’s chances could well have put them three or four goals ahead. Tristan Borges danced into the box and had a great look at goal but his shot was saved. Minutes later, Choinière hit the post, as did Poku in the 63rd minute. Kyle Bekker had another shot saved, and Badibanga had an absolute rocket pushed away as well. However, for all their opportunities, Forge could not find the back of the net again, which might haunt them coming out of this match. Smyrniotis explained that he sensed there was a chance for his team to essentially kill off the tie with TFC pressing forward — especially since they brought off two defenders at halftime for more attacking options. “We’re a little bit disappointed that it’s not 3-0 at some point because we’ve created some excellent opportunities, from knowing certain things were going to arise,” the Forge boss said. “They obviously had to push a little bit and we allowed their three centre-backs to remain on the ball for large parts of the game, and that gave us an opportunity to find spaces to go forward. … We’ve given ourselves an advantage going into a second leg, but nothing is done.” Toronto’s attack in the second half was driven far more by quantity than quality, and eventually one of their 12 shots did find its mark in an episode of mess defending after a corner kick that Forge couldn’t clear. Prince Owusu’s goal could prove to be critical, as the away goal now means TFC would advance with a 1-0 win at BMO Field. However, Forge still have more of an advantage than they did heading into the second leg in Montréal. They know what task lies ahead of them, and they’ve done it before. It’s only halftime in this semifinal, but Forge find themselves in pole position to return to the Canadian Championship final.
TFC’s stars frustrated by timely defending
It’s no secret there’s a discrepancy between the wage bills of these two clubs. Toronto’s front two for this match of Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi make over $21 million (USD) per year, which is more than the entire player payroll of every Canadian Premier League club combined — and about 18 times higher than a CPL team’s maximum possible spend on player compensation. It didn’t look like that big a gulf on Wednesday night, though. The two Italian stars, both of whom were European champions with Italy in 2021, started alongside an otherwise first-choice starting lineup for TFC. They were both lively and had their moments on the ball, of course. They had 10 shots and seven chances created between them, and Insigne led either team with 105 touches of the ball. Although it seemed, especially in the first half, that something might happen when either player took possession, it never really did. Just two of their 10 shots were on target. Both players put several of their best chances well over the bar. The most impressive part, though, was how well Forge’s defenders did to prevent them getting close to goal. Malik Owolabi-Belewu, playing at left-back with Daniel Parra suspended, had the difficult assignment of battling with Bernardeschi for 78 minutes. In that time, Owolabi-Belewu stuck with the Italian, staying on his feet and monitoring space well to ensure he wasn’t able to receive the ball in the areas he wanted, nor could he cut it toward the middle of the pitch easily. TFC head coach John Herdman spoke glowingly of Owolabi-Belewu in particular postmatch, pointing out how well the 21-year-old did against the experienced Bernardeschi, “I tip my hat to their left-back tonight, who I thought was brilliant,” Herdman said. “He’s playing against Fede Bernardeschi, I though the did a wonderful job in moments just to snuff out that threat.” Smyrniotis, likewise, was complimentary of his left-back, explaining that Forge had prepared heavily for that specific battle with Bernardeschi. Having seen Owolabi-Belewu defend well against Cade Cowell of Guadalajara, Smyrniotis gave the young defender a similar job. “You watch TFC, and 80 per cent of what they do goes through one player,” he said. “If you can neutralize that, you’re playing the percentages. … You limit a player that is very dangerous for them and creates a lot, you’re going to give yourself a better chance of winning. Malik had that role today; Bernardeschi in the first half was rotating in and out, playing wide, playing inside, so we were prepared for that as well and how we adjusted where we wanted the ball to go.” Elsewhere on the pitch, Forge’s other players likewise did a good job limiting the damage, although they’ll certainly wish they hadn’t conceded the late goal to Owusu. That one was a product of some uncharacteristic confusion as Forge couldn’t clear their lines, although they’d felt hard done by not getting a free kick from a possible foul before. Without a doubt, Forge got under TFC’s skin a bit in this game. The Toronto players’ body language showed frustration when they couldn’t connect on a pass or missed an opportunity, and a few of the confrontations after fouls got heated. Badibanga and Insigne, in particular, had a few exchanges that boiled over. The second leg is a few weeks away still, but these players will not soon forget this encounter. There will be no love lost at BMO Field in August.
CanPL.ca Pla****yer of the Match
Béni Badibanga, Forge FC
The Congolese winger was outstanding, as he often is in big games. Badibanga snatched the spotlight with his goal from inside his own half, but he was a handful all night, with three shots and a chance created, constantly challenging TFC on the dribble. He also won possession six times and made two interceptions.
Box Score
Lineups
Forge FC: Kalongo; Duncan (Samuel 79′), Achinioti-Jönsson, Metusala, Owolabi-Belewu; Bekker (Hamilton 79′), Hojabrpour; Choinière (Kane 90+1′), Borges (Jensen 71′), Badibanga; Poku (Ampomah 79′)
Toronto FC: Gavran; O’Neill (Longstaff 46′), Mabika (Owusu 46′), Gomis; Franklin (Marshall-Rutty 78′), Thompson, Flores (Long 68′), Etienne, Petretta; Bernardeschi (Kerr 78′), Insigne
Goals
*11′ — Béni Badibanga (Forge FC)
- 14′ — Kwasi Poku (Forge FC)
88′ — Prince Owusu (Toronto FC)
Discipline
66′ — Yellow: Béni Badibanga (Forge FC)
66′ — Yellow: Lorenzo Insigne (Toronto FC)
90+4′ — Yellow: Kevin Long (Toronto FC)
What’s next?
The second leg of this tie will be played at Toronto’s BMO Field on Aug. 27. In the meantime, both sides turn their attention back to their league campaigns. Forge will be back at home this Sunday, July 14 to take on Pacific FC (7 p.m. ET). Watch all TELUS Canadian Championship matches live on OneSoccer. In addition to its website and app, OneSoccer is now available on TELUS channel 980 and on Fubo TV. Call your local cable provider to ask for OneSoccer today.