It is game on in the cross-strait Canadian Premier League derby as last-place Vancouver FC added to the growing storylines by upsetting first-place Pacific FC 3-2 in Langley on Saturday.
“We’ve added new history to the derby,” said VFC head coach Afshin Ghotbi.
“Football in every country needs these kinds of stories and these kinds of derbies,” said Ghotbi, who has coached in eight countries, and been on the coaching staff at three World Cups with the U.S. in 1998 and South Korea in 2002 and 2006.
“I am proud of our fans who stuck with this team through difficult times. We are not going to quit and will fight to the final breath.”
PFC won the first two games against CPL debutante VFC, 1-0 at Starlight Stadium and 6-3 in Langley. The VFC players mobbed second-half sub Gabriel Bitar after he scored the winning goal at 87 minutes following his equalizer at 76 minutes.
“Winning this one is extra special,” said Bitar, who has earned a cap for Lebanon.
“We haven’t won in a while. It was a team effort and something to build off. We’re going to keep going until we’re out.”
It dampened the crossing for the PFC fans who made the ferry trek to watch the game of swings as the Tridents overcame a 1-0 VFC lead to take a 2-1 lead through goals by defender Thomas Meilleur-Giguère at 65 minutes and striker Djenairo Daniels at 73 minutes, before the stunning late turn of events courtesy of Bitar’s scoring dramatics.
“Our [visiting] crowd was behind us and showed us love,” said Meilleur-Giguère, the former Montreal MLS prospect, who had 12 appearances for sa国际传媒 Under-20s, including in the 2017 CONCACAF championship, and was selected for the sa国际传媒 U-23 team for the CONCACAF regional Tokyo Olympics qualifying tournament.
“I have no clear explanation. We need to be there in the big moments. The little details didn’t help us. We need to refocus on the next game. We have eight more games to finish first.”
The ferry ride back to the Island must have felt as long as the trip home from Halifax after playing HFX.
“This was a really disappointing day,” said PFC head coach James Merriman, whose club dominated territorially with 61 per cent of the ball possession.
“There is no excuse for the result. We came here and lost 3-2. It was disappointing to give the ball away like that. We need to be tidier.”
Goalkeeping was also a factor. Former PFC ’keeper Callum Irving, now of Vancouver, robbed PFC midfielder Sean Young, precisely set up by Kunle Dada-Luke, point blank at 80 minutes to deny the Island club a 3-2 lead. “It was the save of the year,” said Ghotbi.
Going the other way, the VFC winner by Bitar was a stoppable shot that slipped through PFC goalkeeper Emil Gazdov.
VFC features three former Tridents in Irving, striker Alejandro Diaz and defender Kadin Chung, who was injured and did not play Saturday.
The Tridents travel across the Rockies to meet Cavalry FC in Calgary next Sunday.
