Atlético Ottawa and Forge FC will take their Canadian Premier League semifinal contest into next weekend’s decisive second leg after playing out an entertaining 2–2 draw at TD Place on Sunday.
All four goals arrived in an action-packed first half, with Anthony Aromatario and Marko Jevremović scoring for Forge, while Diego Gutiérrez and Ballou Tabla twice brought the defending champions level.
Forge made the early breakthrough in the 15th minute when Aromatario rose to head home from a corner, giving the visitors the advantage after they had threatened from set-pieces.
Ottawa responded eight minutes later through Gutiérrez, who unleashed a powerful effort from outside the penalty area to beat Forge goalkeeper Dimitry Bertaud and restore parity.
The visitors regained the lead in the 35th minute through a moment of individual brilliance from Jevremović. The Forge defender curled a superb free-kick around the defensive wall and beyond goalkeeper Chris Kalongo to make it 2–1.
However, Atlético refused to surrender their home advantage and found another equaliser two minutes before the interval. Joaquim Coulanges produced an incisive run before setting up Tabla, who finished to bring the score to 2–2.
Despite the frenetic opening period, neither side managed to find a winner after the break. The second half was more cautious, with both teams showing greater defensive discipline as the prospect of conceding a decisive goal influenced their approach.
The result leaves the tie finely balanced ahead of the return fixture in Hamilton on Saturday, November 7, when Forge will host Atlético at Hamilton Stadium.
Forge, who finished second in the regular-season standings, entered the playoffs after winning the 2026 TELUS Canadian Championship, while Atlético are defending the North Star Cup they claimed last season.
The two clubs have a recent history of closely contested playoff encounters. Atlético eliminated Forge in last year’s semifinal before going on to lift their first CPL championship.
With the away-goals rule not in operation, the aggregate score after the two legs will determine which team advances to the final. If the teams remain level after the return fixture, extra time and, if necessary, a penalty shootout will decide the winner.
Sunday’s draw ensures that neither side has secured an advantage, leaving the semifinal to be settled in Hamilton.
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