You know it’s going to be a close match every time the HFX Wanderers go head-to-head with the defending CPL champions. That trend continued Wednesday as the teams played to their fourth straight draw, including twice at the Island Games. This time it was a 1-1 scoreline, highlighted by an early goal from Akeem Garcia before Paolo Sabak tied the match after converting

Akeem continues golden boot race

Akeem Garcia picked up where he left off after a four-goal first round with yet another goal. He now leads the golden boot race with five goals. He scored two minutes into the game and actually had a good chance that went wide less than a minute into this one. That’s significant because it shows how he’s worked on his game since first joining the team over a year ago.

“You have to keep going, a striker. No one’s perfect. But as the coach says, if you miss one, you have to keep your head up,” said Garcia.

“I used to struggle a bit with that last season. When I missed a chance I used to put down my head. But this year, I’ve managed to keep my cool and keep going.”

The goal also gave the Wanderers an early boost as the team dominated play for the first 15 minutes.

“A goal always gives you confidence, it always makes you feel well. And one goal can win a game, so we started playing a little more confident,” said the goal-scorer.

Return of two attacking options

Brazilian attacking midfielder João Morelli made his return after missing the last two games after a red card incident against York9. He instantly made an impact on the game, setting up the Garcia goal after a turnover from the energetic press. He almost pulled the same trick twice, this time intercepting the ball and sending in winger Daniel Kinumbe for a scoring chance.

Morelli finished with a shot and two created chances. From the wing, Kinumbe was active winning four of nine duals and certainly didn’t look rusty when challenging Forge’s Kyle Bekker in the opening half.

“The players were executing exactly how we wanted to go into the game. We gave ourselves a time frame to do it in and luckily we got two opportunities and we scored one out of it,” said coach Stephen Hart.

Kinumbe last played in the second game of the first round, also against Forge. His appearances at the Island Games are his first since being injured with the Montreal Impact in the MLS in June 2019.

“I told him where I wanted him to play and exactly what I wanted out of him and I thought he did very well until the point where he’s not match fit. He knew that. I’m very, very proud of how he played the game and he gave us everything and that’s all I can ask of a player,” Hart said.

’Things don’t come back’

The penalty awarded to Forge after right-back Jake Ruby was called for a handball was certainly controversial with Wanderers players on the field and both fans and pundits alike from home having animated discussions about the call.

It’s not the first time in this tournament that Stephen Hart has had to preach a message of moving on from what’s already happened in a match.

“One of the things we always discuss as a team is that things don’t come back. The game’s over. The call is made whether you like it or not. They got a penalty, they scored it,” said the coach.

“All you’ve got to do is get over it and look forward, you have two more games to play and just keep your minds focused on recovering today and tomorrow and then prepare the next day to play.”

That recovery is important as the team rests up and continues to press on in the group stage on Saturday with a game at 4pm against Cavalry FC.