It is just one day into the CPL season, but already a goal of the season candidate has been scored.
On Saturday, at Willoughby Stadium, Lorenzo Callegari struck a breathtaking freekick, that knuckled its way into the top corner for the match winner in a 1-0 Halifax Wanderers' victory over Vancouver FC.
It was just the Italian midfielder's second CPL goal in his fourth season in the league. But it is one that was immediately destined for the highlight reels.
"I've been working a lot on that during training," said Lorenzo Callegari to media post-match. "As soon as I saw there was a foul, I took it, my first thought was maybe to cross it. But after, I was like 'I have to shoot it and see what happens'. So I'm happy to help the team today."
Callegari's coach, Vanni Sartini, however, had some thoughts on how exactly those training efforts had been going.
"Yesterday, he tried two or three of this kind of, I don't know, Cristiano Ronaldo, Juninho free kicks that he did today, and they all went up over the bar," said Sartini. "So hopefully he doesn't score this week in training, and he saves it for the real moment."
Whether or not Callegari continues to be prolific from set pieces this season, it certainly delivered a memorable moment in Vanni Sartini's coaching debut, and a huge result for the Wanderers to begin their 2026 campaign.