A Joao Morelli penalty was the winning goal for HFX Wanderers on Thursday night, as they opened the 2022 Canadian Premier League season with a 1-0 win over York United at a rainy York Lions Stadium.
The visitors would open the scoring in the 53rd minute, as York’s Roger Thompson bowled over Cory Bent in the penalty area which prompted referee Yusri Rudolf to point to the spot. Morelli stepped up to place the ball off the right goalpost and in, handing his side a 1-0 lead they would not relinquish.
After scoring 14 goals a year ago, several of them from the penalty area ago en route to the Golden Boot and Player of the Year awards, getting the Brazilian going in match number one was incredibly important.
The 2021 CPL Player of the Year has the first goal of the 2022 season
? @Jmorelli_96 scores from the spot to give @HFXWanderersFC the lead at York Lions Stadium #CanPL l ?: @onesoccer
pic.twitter.com/MOHtUq1AED— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) April 8, 2022
Bent was lively all night on the right flank, linking up well with newcomer Zachary Fernandez, who was making his CPL debut after signing from A.S. Blainville in the PLSQ. The duo cause a lot of trouble for York’s left side of Michael Petrasso and Eduardo Jesus, creating chances and getting balls into the box to test their opposing backline.
The pace of the game picked up a bit after the opener, with York desperate to get back into the game, and the Nine Stripes thought that they deserved a penalty as well midway through the second half. After Lowell Wright struck the post with a low shot from close range, the ball was cycled back into the box, where a shot from Isaiah Johnston seemingly struck the arm of Wanderers midfielder Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé.
The referee waved away the protests, and a very animated Johnston was booked for dissent.
Hit the post! Penalty shout! Yellow cards!
It's poppin' off at York Lions Stadium ?#CanPL | ? https://t.co/7JFAUhgjL6 pic.twitter.com/QXraPOxDzz
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 8, 2022
York spent a lot of time on the front foot after conceding, but Halifax held firm entirely.
The visitors had a chance to double the lead in the 86th minute, as they broke up the pitch on a counter attack, but a first-time shot from Ryan Robinson struck the outside of the post. The last action of the match was also down in York’s end of the pitch, as Morelli seemed to be nearly away on his own in space with only Mateo Hernandez to beat — but Morelli’s touch put the ball off Hernandez’s arm, which drew a red card for handball in denial of goalscoring opportunity as the Argentine went down the tunnel early in his brief York debut.
So, it was the Wanderers who drew first blood in the 2022 CPL season, banking three crucial road points before moving on to next weekend’s test in Ottawa.
BOX SCORE
Goals
53′ — João Morelli (HFX Wanderers)
Discipline
65′ — Yellow: Isaiah Johnston (York United)
71′ — Yellow: Obeng Tabi (HFX Wanderers)
87′ — Yellow: Mateo Restrepo (HFX Wanderers)
90+5′ — Red: Mateo Hernandez (York United)