Valour FC had the better of Atlético Ottawa in a whirlwind 2021 Canadian Championship preliminary round tie Saturday, taking a 3-2 win and advancing to face two-time CanPL champions Forge FC for a spot in the tournament’s semi-final.

A second-half brace from Valour striker Austin Ricci put an otherwise dizzying match to bed, canceling out a first-half goal from Ottawa’s Brian Wright and adding to teammate Sean Rea’s outside-the-box strike.

Valour took the match by the horns in the initial stages, stretching play wide and looking to show their teeth in the final third by grabbing five shots in the first 10 minutes. Attacker William Akio gave Winnipeg a spectacular opening with a video game-like series of dribbles and knock-aheads in the box before seeing a shot saved.

Ottawa themselves found success playing long and finding space behind the Winnipeg defence, which led to Wright’s opening goal in the 16th minute. The lumbering striker smartly brought down a long ball, creating the attacking play and finishing it with a powerful shot – Ottawa’s first on target – through the defender’s legs and into the corner netting.

Valour’s Sean Rea and Rafael Galhardo midfield stood out as the pair pulled the ball in every direction. Rea was rewarded with a lovely equalizing goal in the 30th minute – putting the ball in the corner from well outside the box. Ottawa nearly answered back through Ryan Telfer and Antonie Coupland, with the former sliding a tidy through ball to the latter – though the shot was swatted by Matt Silva.

The first half was a fury – 20 shots attempted total – and it finished with the assistant referee blowing down a what would have been a second goal from Wright following a mesmerizing play from Ryan Telfer where the winger split two defenders and delivered an inch-perfect cross.

Second half proceedings were cagey to start but chances continued to present themselves. While Ottawa enjoyed better spells, it was Valour that found the breakaway markers through their no. nine Ricci who grabbed a three-minute brace – his first goal on the counter attacker following a lovely cross from William Akio, roofing the match’s most clear-cut chance. A second followed on a similar counterattack when the striker simply powered the ball past ‘keeper Theo Obadal.

Ottawa fizzled out in the final two-dozen minutes until two-year midfielder Viti Martinez found the net on an injury-time tap in but it was too little, too late for Mista’s side as they failed to find an answer-back, ultimately succumbing to three-straight goals from their Winnipeg visitors and bowing out of their first CanChamp campaign.

BOX SCORE

Goals

16′ — Brian Wright (Atlético Ottawa)
30 — Sean Rea (Valour FC)
60′ — Austin Ricci (Valour FC)
63′ —Austin Ricci (Valour FC)
90+2′ — Viti Martinez (Atlético Ottawa)

Discipline

37′ — Yellow: Tony Mikhail (Valour FC)
61′ — Yellow: Stefan Cebara (Valour FC)