HAMILTON — Hugo Mbongoe's goal in the 69th minute stood up as the game winner as Vancouver FC downed Atletico Ottawa 3-1 in the first leg of their Canadian Championship semifinal matchup on Wednesday.
Michel da Silva opened the scoring for Vancouver in the 21st minute, and Ottawa's Samuel Salter replied with a strike of his own in the 58th.
Vancouver regained the lead thanks to Mbongoe's goal, then added some late insurance when Nicolás Mezquida scored in the first minute of injury time.
It was an upset victory for Vancouver, who sit last in the Canadian Premier League standings with a 2-11-5 record on the season, while Ottawa (11-1-6) is battling Forge FC for top spot.
Atletico will host the second leg of the semifinal series in Ottawa on Sept. 18.
Earlier on Wednesday, Forge battled Major League Soccer's Vancouver Whitecaps to a 2-2 draw in the first leg of their semifinal matchup.
Nana Ampomah had a goal and an assist for the CPL club, capitalizing on a failed clearance by Vancouver's Bjorn Utvik in the ninth minute, collecting the ball and firing it in to give Forge an early 1-0 lead.
Tristan Blackmon responded for the 'Caps, scoring in the 18th minute, and Brian White gave Vancouver a 2-1 lead in the 29th minute.
Forge levelled the score in the 34th minute when Ampomah picked up another failed Whitecaps clearance and sent it to Brian Wright, who popped it into the back of the Vancouver goal.
The 'Caps will host the second half of the two-legged semifinal series in Vancouver on Sept. 16.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2025.
The Canadian Press
