Forge FC tops CF Montreal on penalty kicks to win Canadian championship

Dimitry Bertaud saved three penalty kicks - including two in a shootout - to help Forge FC make history on Wednesday night at Stade Saputo in Montreal.

After Forge and CF Montreal remained tied at one after regulation and extra time, the Hamilton-based side prevailed 4-2 in a shootout to become the first Canadian Premier League team to win the Canadian Championship. 

Manjrekar James scored the deciding goal to silence the crowd at Stade Saputo and send his Forge teammates into celebration mode.

“For us, every time is an opportunity," said Forge head coach Bobby Smyrniotis. "We've won trophies, and this is a trophy that we've come close to, and it's very important for our club. 

"Finals have nothing to do with three points.” 

Antoine Batisse scored late in the first half for Forge. Daniel Rios notched the equalizer shortly after the halftime break for Montreal.

Tristan Borges, Ben Paton and Daniel Nimick had the other goals for Forge in the shootout. Matty Longstaff and Daniel Perreira scored for Montreal.

Daniël Krutzen was the only Forge player who failed to convert from the spot. Prince Owusu - who missed a penalty earlier in the game - and Gennadiy Synchuk missed for the Major League Soccer side.

It was the third year in a row that Forge eliminated Montreal from the Canadian Championship.

Montreal controlled for stretches of the game and generated several strong scoring opportunities. Despite the disparity on offence, Forge's defence saw out the opening phases of the game.

In the 21st minute, Montreal’s pressure finally paid off when James brought down Owusu in the penalty area. With the chance to open the scoring, Bertaud stood tall and made a decisive save.

After the penalty miss, Montreal continued to control the