CS Saint-Laurent pulled off a second TELUS Canadian Championship cupset in three years on Sunday, when the LS Pro side earned a 1-0 victory over the Canadian Premier League’s Inter Toronto FC to advance to the quarter-final round of the national domestic knockout competition.
The victory comes little more than two years after the Montreal-based pro-am organization claimed another notable Canadian Championship upset by defeating CPL outfit Halifax Wanderers in the preliminary round of the 2024 tournament. This latest triumph was arguably even more impressive, as St-Laurent secured the result against a in-form Inter side in regulation time, after requiring a penalty shootout to eliminate Halifax in the club’s previous upset. The defeat marked Inter’s first loss in all competitions this season.
Toronto applied sustained pressure on St-Laurent throughout the match, but it was visiting striker Younesse Chibane who provided the difference with a clinical first-half finish. The breakthrough was made possible in large part by the performance of St-Laurent goalkeeper Martin Cantona, the nephew of Manchester United legend Eric Cantona. The 23-year-old denied Inter’s potent attack throughout the match, producing a series of key saves to preserve the clean sheet and allow Chibane’s strike to stand as the decisive goal.
For Cantona, the performance marked a significant turnaround from last year’s competition, when he was part of the FC Laval side that suffered a 5-0 defeat to York United FC in the preliminary round of the 2025 TELUS Canadian Championship. One year later, he played a central role in helping his new club advance to the quarter-finals with one of the competition’s most notable results to date.
Inter started the match strongly, rattling off 11 shots — five on target — through the opening 18 minutes. But it was the visitors who made their chance count first, when Chibane converted St-Laurent’s first shot on target of the game.
The striker took on Inter defender Carlos Guzman and capitalized on a favourable bounce off the defender’s shin. When the ball fell into his path just outside the top left corner of Toronto’s 18-yard box, Chibane took two touches before slotting a composed finish across goal, beyond Inter goalkeeper Diego Urtiaga and into the bottom right corner.
Toronto’s offensive pressure continued through to halftime. Mauro Eustaquio’s side managed 22 shots in the first 45 minutes, 11 of which landed on target, and went into the break with an xG of 2.73. But the home side was unable to find a breakthrough against a compact St-Laurent defensive shape and a strong performance from Cantona in goal.
Inter turned to its bench in the second half in an attempt to break down St-Laurent’s resistance, introducing CPL Golden Boot contenders Tomasz Skublak and Julian Altobelli alongside league veterans Gabriel Bitar and Kembo Kibato.
The home side’s best opportunity of the second half came in the 74th minute through Altobelli, whose dangerous long-range effort appeared destined for the top corner. But Cantona again stood tall, reacting sharply to tip the strike over the bar and preserve St-Laurent’s lead. Toronto came close again deep into stoppage time when Skublak connected with a header in the 95th minute, but the effort bounced inches wide of the target.
St-Laurent settled into the match as the second half progressed and did a more effective job limiting Inter’s attacking threat after the break. Although the CPL side finished with 32 shots overall and an xG of 3.08, only two of those efforts were on target in the second half. The visitors also created a pair of late chances of their own, including a loose ball that fell to Ryan Eid in the 92nd minute after a fumble in front of goal, although the forward was unable to convert. Moments later, Aylan Khenoussi broke in behind Toronto’s backline in the 95th minute, but his effort was stopped by Urtiaga.
St-Laurent will now face reigning CPL regular season winners Forge FC in the quarter-final round in July, after the Hamilton-based side defeated the Halifax Wanderers 4-0 on Saturday.
BOX SCORE
Lineups
Inter Toronto FC: Urtiaga; Singh, Guzman (Leon 85”), Lopez; Cordova (Kibitz 72”), Yeates, Accettola (Skublak 45”), Ferrari; Bassett, Gonzales, Jimoh (Bitar 61”)
CS Saint-Laurent: Cantona; Morsli (Rebai 61”), Nboucha, Goulet, Ghamraoui; Mlah, Toussaint, Chaouki (Khenoussi 79”); Catavolo (Eid 62”), Chibane (Okeke 83”), Tremblay (Tabi 45”)
Goals
18’ — Younesse Chibane (CS Saint-Laurent)
Discipline
18' — Yellow: Matthew Catavolo (CS Saint-Laurent)
35’ — Yellow: Ollie Bassett (Inter Toronto FC)
76’ — Yellow: Saad Chaouki (CS Saint-Laurent)
88’ — Yellow: Tomasz Skublak (Inter Toronto FC)
90 +8’ — Yellow: Cedric Toussaint (CS Saint-Laurent)
90 +8’ — Yellow: Luke Singh (Inter Toronto FC)
CPLSoccer.com Player of the Match
Martin Cantona, CS Saint-Laurent
Cantona, 23, finished the match with 13 saves, several of them from point-blank range, in a standout performance against CPL opposition. The St-Laurent goalkeeper was particularly busy in the opening half, making 11 saves before the break as Toronto piled on pressure in search of an early breakthrough. He continued to come up with key interventions in the second half, including a crucial stop on Julian Altobelli in the 74th minute, helping preserve the clean sheet and secure St-Laurent’s place in the quarter-finals.