There was plenty of drama in both post season playoff semi-finals for the ProSound Cup played at Centennial Stadium Sunday.
It turned out to be a cliffhanger of precipitous proportions for FC Vorkuta, a match for which they would be forgiven if accused of a catch-up exhaustion before handing over the ProSound Cup semi-final decision to a determined Serbian White Eagles leading 1-0 on a goal by midfielder Marko Stajic at the 66th minute mark. Serbian White Eagles held the advantage for most of the second half and at the late stages when it appeared just a matter of the sound of referee Ramee Arbaji’s final whistle to eliminate Vorkuta and put White Eagles into the cup final the following Sunday.
But with little time left, it all changed quickly when White Eagles’ goalkeeper John Trye, reaching for a dangerous high ball came crashing down on the six-yard line. The Sierra Leone international 6’ 4” keeper was taken off the field with almost no time remaining to be replaced by substitute goalkeeper Nikola Postic. Seconds later Postic faced a free kick on the edge of the box that led to a pass for Vorkuta midfielder Sergii Ivliev to push the ball inside the post, and the match was tied 1-1.
With just seconds to the whistle signaling 30 minutes of extra time, a partial clearance in the White Eagles’ defense then gave Vorkuta midfielder Pavlo Chornomaz the opportunity for a snap shot from 35 yards which turned into a picture 2-1 winning goal and a final whistle while the ball lay in the back of the net.
The second semi-final at Centennial Stadium also turned into a thriller with every chance the visiting Atletico Sporting Toronto had shown enough in a turbulent 1-1 draw on October 2 to take Sunday’s playoff with Scarborough one step further and notch a victory.
The match was attractive and furious at times while Atletico held Scarborough to a scoreless tie throughout the 90 minutes and into 30-minutes of overtime. While Scarborough had an edge with greater possession, the outcome could have gone either way until Scarborough midfielder Camaal Reid headed into the net out of reach of Atletico ‘keeper Rene Figueroa for a 1-0 lead five minutes into overtime.
Both sides had chances to score moving further into overtime, but Scarborough sealed the win to advance to the final with a strike by forward Taha Ilyass. That left just two minutes remaining and a 2-0 victory and place in the final for the Toronto east side team.
The ProSound Cup Final will be reminiscent of the CSL Championship Final between FC Vorkuta and Scarborough SC played October 17, 2020 which ended with a 2-1 championship victory by FC Vorkuta.
The upcoming ProSound Cup Final will be played at Centennial Stadium on Sunday, October 24, a 6.30 pm kickoff. There will be an admission charge of $10.
Fans are reminded that as an outdoor activity, all Canadian Soccer League games at Centennial Stadium are not affected by the Ontario government regulation to implement the proof of vaccination requirements that went into effect on September 22. There will be no request for proof of vaccination or identity for entry.
Spectators are required to wear a mask or face covering in a manner that covers their mouth, nose and chin, unless they are entitled to an exemption. While seated in the stadium, the face mask can be removed. Physical distancing is required.
Stan Adamson
