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Forge FC prepares for second leg of CPL finals after a victory in Hamilton

The Canadian Premier League Finals between Forge FC and Cavalry FC started with a bang on Saturday at Tim Hortons Field. The first leg of the two-legged affair saw two red cards, a saved penalty and Forge FC sneaking away with a narrow victory. 

Tristan Borges’ strike seconds away from half-time was the only goal that separated the two sides. Forge now head into the second leg in Calgary with a 1-0 advantage. 

The first half-hour of the game saw the two sides sizing each other up while each team was relatively quiet on the attack. Then just after 30 minutes, Forge captain Kyle Bekker pummelled a shot into the crossbar from outside the box. 

Players flew into the tackle as the deep rivalry between the sides started to show. Things continued to get heated as Cavalry defender Joel Waterman was sent off for handling the ball in the box. As Waterman slid into to prevent a shot from Forge forward Borges his trailing hand touched the ball which appeared to prevent a goal scoring opportunity. 

Forge FC’s top goalscorer Borges stood up to take the penalty. However, the Cavalry goalkeeper made an incredible save with his foot to keep his team in the game as they continued to play with just ten men. 

The Cavalry goalkeeper Marco Carducci had been their star player all season as he pulled out several important saves. Until he was beaten just before half-time by a lofted shot from the top left side of the box by Borges. Forge headed into the second half with a narrow 1-0 advantage. 

The intensity in the end of the first half continued into the second as Borges began to pull the strings in attack for Forge. Cavalry’s Carducci made sure to snuff out any danger as he pushed a driven shot from a corner onto the crossbar. 

Borges was putting in a man of the match performance until he was brought down on the halfway line by a Cavalry defender. The tussle saw the Cavalry player roll on top of Borges who then kicked out and pushed the defender aside. The referee showed Borges a red card after the incident sending Forge supporters into a riot as they had to watch their star man disappear down the tunnel. 

Now with both teams at ten men, Forge continued to attack with long balls down the left side. The pace of midfielder Chris Nanco left Cavalry defenders exposed as he created several good opportunities to finish off the tie. 

After several heroics from the Cavalry goalkeeper, the game still ended 1-0 for Forge. Hamilton now holds the advantage in the two-legged final. Overall, Forge were the better team on Saturday but we’ll have to wait and see how much the home field advantage played into their strong performance. 

Forge FC have both of their starting defenders returning for the second leg after serving a one game suspension. Also, the team are appealing Borges’ controversial red card hoping to have their star goalscorer back for the second leg. 

The drama continues to come to a boiling point as the rivalry between Forge and Cavalry bubbles on in the second leg at Spruce Meadows in Calgary on Saturday. 

Lead photo courtesy of @forgefc.

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