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(Photo: Valour FC)
MATCH ANALYSIS: Late Fernandez goal rescues a point for Halifax Wanderers in Winnipeg
2024-09-21
by
Benedict Rhodes, CanPL.ca Contributor (@BTFR17)

Final Score: Valour FC 1-1 Halifax Wanderers FC
Goalscorers: Hundal 76′; Fernandez 89′
Game of the 2024 season: 94
CPL match: 578

Match in a minute or less

Valour FC and Halifax Wanderers FC were both unable to make up significant ground in the race for the fifth playoff spot on Saturday, drawing 1-1 at Princess Auto Stadium.

It was a back-and-forth game with plenty of opportunities for both sides, but the deadlock wouldn’t be broken until the 76th minute. After making a run to the back post, Shaan Hundal received a low cross from Loïc Kwemi and put it into the back of the net from close range with an easy finish. It seemed as though Valour might hold for the full three points to leapfrog Halifax in the table, but Zachary Fernandez headed home from a well-worked set piece in the 89th minute to rescue a point for the visitors.

As a result, Halifax and Valour still sit seventh and eighth in the CPL table, respectively, with just four matches left to try and climb up into the playoff picture.

Three Observations

Single point doesn’t help either side in the playoff race, but not losing keeps them in the hunt

Halifax Wanderers FC and Valour FC both had the chance to move up in the table on Saturday, but remain in seventh and eighth place, respectively, for at least another week.

Valour had one hand on the three points, which would have seen them climb over the Wanderers in the table, but Zachary Fernandez rescued a point late for the visitors with a great header from a set piece.

Valour extend their unbeaten streak to four matches, but none of those matches have been wins — leaving them still on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. After drawing 2-2 with Cavalry FC in Calgary, they have played out three straight 1-1 draws — at home against Atlético Ottawa, on the road at York United, and Saturday’s tie in Winnipeg.

Halifax, meanwhile, have gone three games unbeaten — all of which came within the span of a week. They beat Forge FC 3-0 with a dominant performance at home, before conceding deep into stoppage time to split the points with Pacific FC on Wednesday night. They then travelled to Winnipeg and picked up another big road point, thanks to some late heroics of their own.

Wanderers captain Andre Rampersad spoke to the media after the match and said that while they wanted the full nine points, this has been a positive week overall for the club.

“Another game that we had to show character in the end,” said Rampersad. “I told the guys we did well to grab one back in the end, to draw the game. It’s tough playing three games in a week and having to come out here and play again. It’s tough, but I wasn’t too disappointed with the guys in the end for getting the point. I think if you look at the games we definitely would feel down a bit because I think we deserve more… at the end of the day it’s good to not lose the games and stay within reaching distance of the fifth place.”

Viscosi and Rushenas solid between the sticks again

Both goalkeepers, Valour’s Jonathan Viscosi and Halifax’s Aiden Rushenas, put on a show in Winnipeg on Saturday, making key stops as their sides picked up a point each.

Viscosi was by far the busier of the two, tasked with making seven saves on the day. A handful of them were athletic, game-saving ones as well — including one on Massimo Ferrin at the start of the second half and another in the fourth minute of stoppage time where he denied Vitor Dias what would have surely been the winning goal in an incredible comeback.

Both he and the backline have been building confidence as the season progresses, partly due to the fact that Phillip Dos Santos has seemingly figured out his best starting lineup, and with that comes familiarity with one another.

“I think that Jono has shown his growth through the season, connecting with with his back line and understanding a little bit better the league and the type of actions he’s gonna have to manage,” said Dos Santos after the match. “He’s grown and he’s helped the team.”

Rushenas was only really called upon once, but he made a huge stop on Shaan Hundal, diving to his left to deny the Valour striker from giving his team the lead. When Hundal did beat him in the 76th minute, there wasn’t a lot that Rushenas could have done differently — Hundal was wide open from two yards away at the back post and there was nothing anyone could do at that point to stop him.

Yann Fillion has been the starter for two years in Halifax, and presumably will be Patrice Gheisar’s number one for the rest of the season, but Rushenas has shown in his three appearances this season that he is capable of being a good goalkeeper at the professional level.

“I was expecting him to be solid from what I’ve seen from the previous games that he played,” said Viscosi about Rushenas. “I saw he made many saves and I knew given the context of the game it’s a young player coming in. They’re not as aware of the contextual things that surround the game that an older player is aware of, so that actually makes it almost easier for a young player to come in and perform to his full potential.”

Hundal continues red-hot form with Saturday’s opening goal

Shaan Hundal scored for a third match in a row when he found the back of the net in the 76th minute, opening the scoring for Valour. It was his fourth goal in five matches as he hits his stride at a crucial point in Valour’s season.

Hundal’s goal came from an action that has brought him a lot of success, being in the right place at the right time after making a smart run into the box. He originally drifted out of the box to try and receive the ball and create a play, but when it was played out wide to Loïc Kwemi, Hundal drifted through a crowd of defenders toward the back post, where Kwemi found him for an easy tap in.

It is movement like that which allows Hundal to be a difference-maker in the Valour attack, and a combination of confidence and good service has the potential to result in him being one of the top strikers in the Canadian Premier League. That has been the case recently, and the Winnipeg-based side are still in the playoff hunt as a result.

It wasn’t a perfect performance, though — there were other opportunities for him and others that if converted could have seen Valour walk away with the full three points — and they will need to be more clinical if the team is to climb above the playoff line in the final month of the season.

“[He’s in the] right place at the right time, moving his feet, staying connected with the team,” Valour head coach Phillip Dos Santos said of Hundal’s recent form. “[He is] wanting to contribute on both ends, defensively and offensively, and that’s what I’ve seen from Shaan. When it’s like that, because he has quality and a flare for goal, and the ability to be in the right spaces and see plays develop, you will have a chance and that’s the Shaan that we wanted to have here.”

CanPL.ca Player of the Match

Jonathan Viscosi, Valour FC

In one of his best performances yet in the Canadian Premier League, Valour goalkeeper Jonathan Viscosi made seven saves to keep his team in both the game and the playoff picture.

What’s next?

Halifax is on the road again next week, visiting Atlético Ottawa at TD Place next Sunday (2 pm ET/3 pm AT). Valour remain at home, hosting Pacific FC the following day (7 pm CT/5 pm PT).

Watch all CPL and 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.

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