Vancouver FC had their hearts broken in the very last minute of the match on Saturday, as Halifax Wanderers FC’s Vitor Dias scored an emphatic equalizer in the 98th minute of play to finally deliver a 1-1 draw in a scrappy match in the Maritimes where both sides finished with 10 men.
Both managers offered a few surprises when team sheets came out before kickoff; most notably, the Wanderers were without star midfielder Lorenzo Callegari, as Aidan Daniels also came back into the side. Vancouver, meanwhile, made a number of changes, and Gabriel Bitar, Mikael Cantave and Allan Enyou returned to the XI, playing with Enyou on the left of defence rather than centre-back.
After a back-and-forth opening period without either side threatening much, Vancouver had the game’s first major chance. Cantave played Alejandro Díaz in on goal alone with an excellent through ball, and Díaz looked sure to score but Yann Fillion made a wonderful reaction save with his left foot to kick it away.
Shortly after the half-hour mark, though, the tide turned against the visitors. Elage Bah, who had picked up a yellow card three minutes before, fouled Halifax’s Giorgio Probo in midfield and referee Michael Venne saw fit to give Bah a second caution and send him off.
VFC therefore adjusted to playing with 10 men, although they did manage to go blow-for-blow with a handful of chances of their own despite the disadvantage. Still, neither side was able to solve the other in the first half, as they returned to the dressing rooms at 0-0.
Less than five minutes into the second half, Vancouver were thrown an incredible lifeline. As Bitar dribbled in the box toward the end line, Wanderers defender Nassim Mekideche tackled him from the side and brought him down, giving a penalty kick to the away team.
Alejandro Díaz took the ball for the spot kick and buried it to his right, scoring his ninth of the season to put Vancouver in front.
Halifax nearly responded immediately as Ryan Telfer found himself with the ball inside the six-yard box, but Callum Irving made an outstanding save on his line as Telfer was unable to lift it over him.
The Wanderers continued to press, throwing everything they could at the Vancouver penalty area, but Irving continued to deny them as he delivered one of the finest goalkeeping performances of the season in the CPL.
With just 10 minutes to play, Halifax’s momentum came to a screeching halt; left-back Zachary Fernandez, after a foul had been called in his side’s favour, shoved Vancouver’s Austin Ricci from behind and he was sent off with a straight red card.
After that, the Wanderers did continue looking desperately for a goal, even bringing Fillion forward for set-pieces a couple of times, but still they couldn’t solve Irving or the Vancouver defence.
At long last, however, the Wanderers found their breakthrough. In the eighth minute of stoppage time, with nearly the very last moment of the game, Tiago Coimbra brought the ball down in the box and it landed for Vitor Dias, who smashed a left-footed strike through traffic and into the back of the net.
So, at the end of what had looked like it might go down as the biggest win in Vancouver FC’s history, it was instead the Wanderers who were smiling, as they remained alive in the playoff hunt with a crucial point.
BOX SCORE
Lineups
Halifax Wanderers: Fillion; Bayiha (Coimbra 77′), Nimick, Mekideche, Fernandez; Probo (Alphonse 83′), Rampersad, Gagnon-Laparé (Rea 68′), Daniels (Dias 68′); Ferrin, Telfer
Vancouver FC: Irving; Bah, Enyou, Norman, Romeo, Cameron; Cantave (Sellouf 64′ (McDonnell 90+7′)), Garcia, Rommens (Fry 81′), Bitar (Campagna 64′); Díaz (Ricci 64′)
Goals
50′ — Alejandro Díaz (Vancouver FC) (Penalty)
90+8′ — Vitor Dias (Halifax Wanderers)
Discipline
29′ — Yellow: Elage Bah (Vancouver FC)
32′ — 2nd Yellow: Elage Bah (Vancouver FC)
33′ — Yellow: Giorgio Probo (Halifax Wanderers)
35′ — Yellow: Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé (Halifax Wanderers)
45+1′ — Yellow: Rocco Romeo (Vancouver FC)
79′ — Yellow: Austin Ricci (Vancouver FC)
80′ — Red: Zachary Fernandez (Halifax Wanderers)
83′ — Yellow: Sean Rea (Halifax Wanderers)
87′ — Yellow: Dan Nimick (Halifax Wanderers)