WINNIPEG — A late goal from Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Ali Ahmed rescued a 2-2 draw for the Major League Soccer side against Canadian Premier League team Valour FC in the first game of their Canadian Championship quarterfinal on Tuesday.
The three-time defending champion ‘Caps controlled the game early, with Canadian defender Sam Adekugbe opening the scoring in the sixth minute.
Valour pushed back and drew even in the 38th minute when Rocco Romeo headed a shot in off a corner kick. The CPL club then went ahead in the 51st minute when Bruno Figueiredo blasted a shot in from distance.
Ahmed scored in the 80th minute to knot the score at 2-2 and kept the two sides level as the two-game aggregate series heads to B.C. Place on July 9.
The result stretched Vancouver’s unbeaten streak to 13 games (6-0-7) across all competitions.
Valour earned its way into the quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory over semi-professional side TSS Rovers in the preliminary round. As defending champions, the Whitecaps had a bye through the tournament’s first round.
Vancouver struck just six minutes into the game, blasting a shot off from the top of the penalty area. The ball pinged in off the bottom off the crossbar to give the ‘Caps an early 1-0 lead.
Valour settled into the game over the next 30 or so minutes and came on strong toward the end of the half.
The home side nearly levelled the score in the 31st minute when Vancouver defender Bjorn Utvik played the ball back to his ‘keeper and Isaac Boehmer bobbled it. Valour’s Jevontae Layne was in good position to poke the ball off the Canadian’s foot, but Boehmer quickly covered it up.
A corner helped get Valour on the board in the 38th minute. Themi Antonoglou curled it into the six-yard box where six-foot-five defender Romeo jumped up from the pack to head a shot in off the back post.
Valour took the lead in the 51st minute when Figueiredo launched a rocket from above the penalty area, sailing the shot in over the diving Boehmer to make it 2-1.
Tempers began to flare late in the game when Kris Twardek shoved Vancouver’s Jeevan Badwal to the ground. The Valour midfielder received a yellow card, but on his team’s touchline, assistant coach Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi was shown the red following a short interaction with officials.
The Whitecaps made a series of substitutes, including bringing on American striker Brian White in the 64th minute, to inject some offence into the visiting side.
The moves paid off in the 80th minute when Sebastian Berhalter — who came on for Belal Halbouni in the 54th minute — curled a ball in on a corner kick. His initial service didn’t create any chances, but when the ball fell near the top of the area, Ahmed — who replaced Jayden Nelson in the 65th minute — collected it, turned and fired a shot in past Valour ‘keeper Eleias Himaras to tie the match at 2-2.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2025.
The Canadian Press
