Atlético Ottawa's first match under new head coach Gustavo Leal ended in a draw on Friday, as Inter Toronto struck back after falling behind for a 1-1 stalemate at TD Place.
The result left neither side fully satisfied, but considering the recent poor results for each team, a point apiece could help them both get back into form.
Immediately from kickoff, Ottawa played like they had new life with the arrival of Brazilian coach Leal. They dominated the opening half-hour of the match, holding 75 per cent possession and taking nine shots — although their finishing let them down. Atleti put four of their shots on target, but couldn't find the back of the net despite a feeling of inevitability about their attack.
Toronto had to fight hard to get a foothold in the match, but they found it difficult to recover the ball. As frustration set in, they found themselves a step behind Atleti players a few times, and strikers Tomasz Skublak and Julian Altobelli both earned yellow cards within 10 minutes of each other.
Atleti were unable to turn their advantage into a goal in the first half, but they returned from the halftime break with the same energy.
Ottawa needed just under 10 minutes after the interval before they opened the scoring.
It was a superbly well-worked move, as they worked the ball expertly up the right side with quick passing moves before Emiliano Garcia whipped a cross toward the back post. Joaquim Coulange picked it up near the touchline and cut it backward to Ballou Tabla, who stroked it in at the near post to give the hosts their first goal under Leal.
Atleti's lead didn't last long, though; within two minutes, Toronto found an equalizer with a lightning-fast counter-attack as Béni Badibanga brought down an errant pass in Ottawa's own half. Badibanga strode forward and curled a ball through the defensive line to Altobelli for the finish, as the striker smashed home his fifth of the year.
The goal gave Inter Toronto more life than they'd had all game; the match opened up significantly, which allowed them to attack vertically and threaten more often.
The same was true for Ottawa, though; the hosts were struggling to restore their complete control, but they nonetheless created dangerous chances from the more chaotic tempo of play.
Toronto arguably should have taken the lead with 20 minutes to play, when the ball fell to Skublak just a few feet from an open goal, but he blasted it well over the bar.
Both coaches made a litany of late substitutions, hoping to steal the three points at the end. Toronto came close with five minutes to play, as a ball across the box nearly met the head of Sebastian Gonzales, but Atleti keeper Chris Kalongo batted it away well.
For a moment, Ottawa thought they'd won a penalty, when Ralph Khoury went to ground over Juan Córdova's outstretched leg. However, Toronto boss Mauro Eustáquio challenged with FVS, which determined that there hadn't been any contact — and Khoury was booked for simulation.
Atleti sent referee Ben Hoskins to the screen again deep in stoppage time for a potential handball in the box, but they were again denied the penalty.
If it was a frustrating first half for Toronto, it was a frustrating second for Ottawa, who felt they should be leading a match where they'd been the better team for so long.
They had let Toronto back into the game, though, and thus saw the clock tick away in a somewhat disappointing draw.
Toronto head coach Mauro Eustáquio was ultimately quite pleased with his side's response after a brutal four-game losing streak.
"My objective over the last 10 days was to get my team back," he said, "and today I think we showed that we've got a team. There's a lot of togetherness. The guys that started ran their socks off. The guys that came in finished the job in the second half."
Ultimately, the sides ended proceedings with a point each, keeping the playoff race tight in the middle of the table.
However, Leal spoke highly of his first experience in the Canadian Premier League. He had been familiarizing himself with Ottawa's squad from afar while waiting to arrive in Canada, and was pleased to finally see them play up close.
Leal said that the last few weeks were hard for him, being unable to get to Canada due to delays in his visa process. Now that he's here, though, he's aiming to hit the ground running.
"I was really excited to feel the atmosphere here with the supporters, and I'm so happy about this," he said postmatch. "I think the result was maybe not fair today because I think we created more chances than them, but in the end I think the draw here playing at home was not the result that we wanted. But that's football. The group did one good game today for sure. We need all the time to improve some points, and now we have one full week to work and to be better in the next round."
Box Score
Starting XIs
Atlético Ottawa: Kalongo; Mbomio, Cloutier (Assi 75'), Kozlovskiy (Dunn 82'); Timoteo (Aguilar 82'), Aparicio, Castro, Coulanges; Antinoro (Habibullah 82'), Tabla, Garcia (Khoury 72')
Inter Toronto: Urtiaga; Córdova, Guzmán, León, Ferrari; López (Accettola 64'), Kibato; Badibanga (Costa 84'), Bassett (Jimoh 71'), Altobelli (Gonzales 71'); Skublak
Goals
54' — Ballou Tabla (Atlético Ottawa)
56' — Julian Altobelli (Inter Toronto)
Discipline
33' — Yellow: Tomasz Skublak (Inter Toronto)
37' — Yellow: Julian Altobelli (Inter Toronto)
39' — Yellow: Sergei Kozlovskiy (Atlético Ottawa)
84' — Yellow: Julian Dunn (Atlético Ottawa)
85' — Yellow: Jean-Aniel Assi (Atlético Ottawa)
90+1' — Yellow: Ralph Khoury (Atlético Ottawa)
CPLSoccer.com Player of the Match
Ballou Tabla, Atlético Ottawa
The Ottawa forward opened the scoring, and had nine touches and five shots. Tabla won possession three times and made two successful dribbles as well, making the most impact for Ottawa up front.
What's Next?
Both sides are at home next Sunday, July 26. First up, Ottawa host Pacific FC (2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT). Shortly after that, Inter Toronto take on Forge FC in a 905 Derby at York Lions Stadium (5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT).
