Forge FC made it 13 straight matches unbeaten against rivals Inter Toronto with a 3-1 victory on Sunday evening at York Lions Stadium.
A brace from Nana Ampomah on either side of half-time was the difference.
With the win, and Cavalry FC's 1-0 loss in Langley on Friday, Forge extended their lead atop the CPL table to seven points. They have now won 11 of the 13 matches they have played this season.
The visitors found a lot of joy down the left flank early in the first half, with Marko Jevremović forcing a good save from Inter Toronto's Ivan Pavela with a vicious strike in the 27th minute.
Forge then thought they had taken the lead at the half-hour mark, but Ampomah was ruled offside in the buildup, wiping away Jevremović's excellent finish.
It took them just ten more minutes to take a deserved lead, however, as Ampomah made good on being offside on the first goal. He headed a great delivery from Tristan Borges goalward, which bounced off the turf and into the net to give Forge a 1-0 lead.
After creating little in attack for the entire half, however, Inter Toronto replied just three minutes later. A stunning cross from Béni Badibanga picked out Tomasz Skublak, whose touch and strike equalized the match at 1-1. The goal came on Toronto's first shot attempt of the match.
Forge, however, regained the lead ten minutes into the second half. It was Ampomah again, who after an excellent 1-2 with Aghilas Sadek cut past Juan Córdova and made that the scoreline for his side on the road.
Again, however, Inter Toronto nearly replied with a couple of excellent chances. The second of which saw Córdova pick out Julian Altobelli in the box, but his shot was denied by Dimitry Bertaud.
Forge came incredibly close to adding a third on a corner kick in the 70th minute. A great header from Antoine Batisse forced a good save from Ivan Pavela who deflected it up off his own crossbar, before the chance was cleared over the net.
Substitute Ismael Oketoukoun also had a great chance when the ball fell to him in the box in the 85th, but his shot was deflected wide. Just a few minutes later, however, some brilliant one-touch passing down the left flank saw Jevremović play the ball to Noah Jensen, who sent it to Oketoukoun, who lifted it over Pavela and into the net.
That goal put the match beyond reach, and gave Forge their second big victory at York Lions Stadium this season.
Inter Toronto have now gone seven matches without a win, which is the same number as the position they have slipped to in the table. It is their longest winless streak since 2022.
Box Score
Starting XIs
Inter Toronto: Pavela; Córdova, Guzmán, León (Singh 64'), Ferrari; Kibato, López (Yeates 77'); Altobelli, Bassett (Accettola 77'), Badibanga; Skublak (Gonzales 61')
Forge FC: Bertaud; Bourgeois (Rama 46'), Nimick, Batisse, Jevremović; Paton, Aromatario, Borges (Bekker 77'); Sadek (Jensen 66'), Massunda (Krutzen 85'), Ampomah (Oketoukoun 66')
Box Score
Goals
41' — Nana Ampomah (Forge FC)
44' —Tomasz Skublak (Inter Toronto)
55' — Nana Ampomah (Forge FC)
86' — Ismael Oketoukoun (Forge FC)
Discipline
18' — Yellow: Antoine Batisse (Forge FC)
19' —Yellow: Juan Córdova (Inter Toronto)
45+3' — Yellow: Tomasz Skublak (Inter Toronto)
72' — Yellow: Béni Badibanga (Inter Toronto)
82' — Yellow: Marko Jevrémovic (Forge FC)
CPLSoccer.com Player of the Match
Nana Ampomah, Forge FC
It was a brilliant performance for the Forge winger, who scored a brace on Sunday evening in Toronto.
What's Next?
Inter Toronto are headed to ATCO Field to face Cavalry FC on Saturday, August 1 (9 p.m. ET)
Forge remain on the road, this time in Halifax, where they face the Wanderers on Sunday, August 2 (6 p.m. ET).