By scoring three goals and conceding only one to Ottawa, FC Supra killed two birds with one stone.
First and foremost, they secured a 3-1 victory and put themselves in a strong position to advance to the next round of the Canadian Championship, but they also regained some confidence after a string of negative results.
Thus, for Supra, this midweek match was highly positive. The complete opposite of Atlético Ottawa, whose performance was largely lacklustre and could have been even worse if not for some nice saves from Chris Kalongo in goal and a late set-piece goal to reduce the deficit.
After an opening half-hour where virtually nothing happened, a spark finally brought some life to the game... and to the scoreboard.
FC Supra took the lead thanks to some great work by Kwemi on the right side of the box, who beat two defenders before crossing to the six-yard box, where Choinière intelligently slipped between the two centre-backs to receive the ball and tap it in (1-0; 29th minute).
The Kwemi-Choinière connection was on display again about ten minutes later when the forward played his captain into the box on the right side, but his powerful shot was met by an alert Chris Kalongo in the Ottawa net.
Ottawa, meanwhile, showed almost nothing in that first half, leaving poor Ballou Tabla isolated up top to face a long shift on the turf under the Laval heat.
It was FC Supra who showed the most initiative and attacking intent, highlighted by Kwemi's off-target efforts late in the first half.
Supra's lead was entirely deserved after the first 45 minutes, but everyone still had the scenario of their last CPL meeting in mind, where Supra led 3-1 at the break before conceding four goals in the second half.
However, a completely different story unfolded this time, and Sean Rea took only five minutes to write the opening lines: cutting inside from the flank, Rea bypassed two defenders before curling a shot from the edge of the box into the top far corner past Kalongo (2-0; 50th minute).
Another top-class goal that put Supra in the driver's seat. Supra, far from satisfied, continued to push while managing Atlético's spells of pressure.
Milli, in goal, came up huge against Ballou, who was perfectly played through by Aparicio, to preserve his clean sheet (61st minute). At the other end, Bayiha tested Kalongo with a heavy strike (63rd minute), while Chrétien thought he had scored a poacher's goal off a corner, but Kozlovskiy cleared it off the line (65th minute).
The second half proved to be far more entertaining than the first: Supra tried to kill off any suspense regarding qualification, while Atlético Ottawa struggled to close the gap and give themselves a better chance in the return leg.
While the intentions were there, the execution became increasingly difficult for both teams as they played their second match in just a few days following a lengthy World Cup break.
Nevertheless, the end of the match opened up significantly, and the crowd at Stade Boréale was treated to more action... and goals!
It was thanks to two players off the bench that FC Supra found their third goal. Riad Bey, from the left side, found Ibrahim Condé alone at the back post. The forward calmly side-footed it home, leaving Kalongo with no chance (3-0; 85th minute).
Then, another Quebecer added his name to the scoresheet, but for Ottawa this time.
Wesley Timoteo found the back of the net with an impeccably struck free-kick, leaving Milli rooted to the spot (3-1; 87th minute).
Aware that another goal would completely change the complexion of the second leg, Atlético Ottawa pushed hard in the dying minutes but failed to find another breakthrough.
It is FC Supra who come away with the advantage from this first leg of the Canadian Championship tie.
The second leg will be played on August 11 in Ottawa.
Box Score
Starting XIs
FC Supra: Milli; Abzi, Chrétien, Deslandes, Auguste; Biello (Elkalkouli 82'); Sissoko (Mlah 70'), Rea; Choinière, Bayiah (Bey 70'), Kwemi (Condé 65').
Atlético Ottawa: Kalongo; Kozlovskiy, Cloutier, Mbomio (Assi; 46e), Timotéo; Castro, Aparicio; Aguillar (Khoury; 61e); Villal (Habibullah; 74e); Antinoro (Arnaud; 84e), Tabla
Goals
29' - David Choinière (FC Supra)
50' - Sean Rea (FC Supra)
83' - Ibrahim Condé (FC Supra)
86' - Wesley Timotéo (Atlético Ottawa)
Discipline
75' - Yellow: Manny Aparicio (Atlético Ottawa)
77' - Yellow: Riad Bey (FC Supra)
88' - Yellow: Charles Auguste (FC Supra)
CPLsoccer.com Player of the Match
Sean Rea, FC Supra du Québec
On the scoresheet once again, the Montreal forward was also highly active throughout the match, creating sparks in the opponent's final third with every run.
What's Next?
FC Supra take on Vancouver FC, July 17 at 7 p.m. ET at Stade Boréale.
Atlético Ottawa host Inter Toronto, also July 17 at 7 p.m. ET, at TD Place.
These two sides will meet again in Leg 2 of this quarterfinal on Aug. 11.