A day of debuts was decided by one as Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau scored a stoppage-time winner to give Atlético Ottawa a dramatic 3-2 win over Pacific FC in the capital.
In his first minutes with his hometown club, the Ottawa-born forward came off the bench to play the hero for the capital club.
"It's the kind of stuff dreams are made of," Fleuriau Chateau told the media. "As I was telling a few of the boys, it's been a tough past six months for me on a personal level, just with not getting the opportunities I know I deserved.
"But at the end of the day, everything happens for a reason, and that reason is me being here now. I'm happy I'm scoring goals for my hometown team, playing in front of my friends and family."
It was the first win in the tenure of new Atleti head coach Gustavo Leal.
However, it equally spoiled the debut of Pacific FC head coach Terry Dunfield. Whose Pacific side looked as electrifying as they have all season, finishing the match with a stunning 3.99 expected goals before being undone by some poor finishing.
After a quiet opening half, the sides traded two goals each during an outstanding second half, which again saw heartbreak for Pacific FC, whose quest for a first win in 2026 continues. It was the 12th point they have dropped from a winning position this season.
Atlético Ottawa head coach Gustavo Leal made just one change from his coaching debut last week against Inter Toronto, with Jean-Aniel Assi replacing Sergei Kozlovskiy, who was in Mexico with Canada's U-20 national team.
In his own CPL coaching debut, meanwhile, Pacific's Terry Dunfield shifted his personnel more significantly, including handing 21-year-old midfielder Matteo Schiavoni his first start since June 22, 2025.
A ponderous opening half-hour to the match saw both sides search for weaknesses in their opponents' new-look setup, but found little to exploit. Pacific held the majority of possession, moving the ball incredibly well through the first two-thirds of the pitch, but were unable to turn that into any clear chances.
Late in the half, both teams issued FVS challenges for possible penalties, but after review neither appeal was granted. Ottawa started to pick up their tempo at that stage, and in the 42nd minute, some quality ball movement down the right flank saw Gabriel Antinoro pick out Ballou Tabla with a clever backheel. But Tabla's low driven strike was well blocked.
In the sixth minute of stoppage time, Atleti took the lead. A great move and cross from Joaquim Coulanges picked out Roni Mbombio, whose header was stopped by Sean Melvin. Melvin, however, could not hang onto the rebound, and Emiliano Garcia smashed home his fourth of the season. Minutes later, the referee blew for half-time.
Five minutes into the second half, Dunfield issued another FVS challenge for a penalty after Joshua Belluz was brought down in the box and this time the referee ruled in his favour. Alejandro Díaz stepped up to the spot and slotted home the penalty to equalize 1-1.
Yann Toualy had a great chance to give his side a lead a few minutes later, but Chris Kalongo denied his low strike. Pacific kept pressing, however, and just eight minutes later had the lead. Some great interplay saw Toualy cut the ball back for Marco Bustos, whose low strike gave the visitors a deserved 2-1 lead.
Atlético Ottawa responded by making a pair of substitutions, including bringing on striker Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau for his debut.
It was the player that Pacific brought on, however, Ronan Kratt, who nearly made the instant impact, with a pair of chances from point blank that he somewhat inexplicably was unable to usher into the net.
Then Atleti substitute Tim Arnaud had an almost equally glaring opportunity, but couldn't beat Melvin.
But it proved to be a warning sign, as a few minutes later, Antinoro found himself in behind. His initial shot was blocked, but Tabla was there to slot home the rebound for his seventh of the season, and to tie the match 2-2.
In a match where substitutes continued to have a huge impact, 18-year-old Mattias Vales nearly gave his side the win in the first minute of stoppage time with a dangerous low shot, but Kalongo got low to make the stop. On the ensuing corner kick, Pacific came within inches of scoring again.
But for the Tridents, another nightmare was waiting around the corner. For Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau, it was a dream debut. A calamitous sequence at the back saw the ball fall into the path of the Ottawa native, and he struck it low and true into the bottom corner before taking off and celebrating acrobatically in front of his hometown fans.
The win moves Atleti back up into third in the table, while Pacific FC are still stuck on three points.
Box Score
Starting XIs
Atlético Ottawa: Kalongo; Assi (Arnaud 63'), Mbomio, Cloutier, Timoteo (Aguilar 87'); Antinoro (Habibullah 90+4'), Aparicio, Castro, Coulanges (Fleurieu Chateau 63'); Tabla, Garcia (Khoury 90+4')
Pacific FC: Melvin; Heard (Chung 79'), Belluz, Quintana (Konincks 79'), Greco-Taylor; Jumhi, Gomulka, Schiavoni (Daniels 72'); Toualy, Díaz (Kratt 63'), Bustos (Vales 79')
Box Score
45+6' — Emiliano García (Atlético Ottawa)
53' -- Alejandro Díaz (Pacific FC)
61' -- Marco Bustos (Pacific FC)
76' -- Ballou Tabla (Atlético Ottawa)
90+6' -- Nicholas Fleuriau Chateau (Atlético Ottawa)
Discipline
39' — Yellow: Wesley Timoteo (Atlético Ottawa)
45+4' -- Yellow: Loïc Cloutier (Atlético Ottawa)
57' -- Yellow: Josh Heard (Pacific FC)
90' -- Yellow: Gabriel Antinoro (Atlético Ottawa)
90+4' -- Yellow: Juan Castro (Atlético Ottawa)
CPLSoccer.com Player of the Match
Emiliano García, Atlético Ottawa
García led the line brilliantly for Atleti on Sunday, scoring their opening goal for his fourth of the season. He also created two chances, and won seven of 12 duels.
What's Next?
Terry Dunfield will be in charge of his first Pacific home game next weekend when they host FC Supra du Québec on Friday, July 31 (7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET)
Atlético Ottawa will also be on the West Coast, where they play Vancouver FC in Langley the following day, Saturday, August 1 (6 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT)