Iliadis’ Olimpico Earns (Another) Three Points for Atlético Ottawa
After a frustrating draw last week to the Halifax Wanderers, where a late-minute penalty kick dashed Atlético Ottawa’s chance of taking home all three points, the team came back to life in a 1-0 triumph over Vancouver FC on August 31st.
The uninspired previous match saw both teams struggling to break through – Ottawa managed just 9 shots, 3 of which were on target, while Halifax had 7 shots, with only 1 finding its mark. The game’s defining moment for both teams came during added time – first with Samuel Salter seizing a defensive blunder and capitalizing on the opportunity to put a shot into the top corner of Yann Fillion’s goal, giving Atléti a 1-0. But the drama didn’t end there, as Manny Aparicio fouled André Rampersad inside the penalty box during the final minute of added time, giving the home side the opportunity to level the score. Daniel Nimick took full advantage, coolly slotting the ball past Nathan Ingham to tie the game 1-1.
Despite the setback, Ottawa showed resilience and determination, securing their much-needed victory the following week against Vancouver FC in a quickly achieved 1-0 victory.
Saturday’s game was a stark contrast to their previous outing, with Ottawa unleashing a barrage of 18 shots compared to Vancouver’s 4. The early moments of the match set the tone for what was to come – as soon as Vancouver kicked off, Atlético pounced on the opportunity, quickly stealing possession. Ilias Iliadis launched a long ball that found Ollie Bassett, who played it forward to Aboubacar Sissoko. Though Bassett’s touch was slightly heavy, Sissoko managed to chase the ball down to the byline and deflect it off Elage Bah, earning Ottawa an important corner in the 2nd minute. For the second time in three matches, Iliadis executed a sensational olimpico that curved into the near post, deflecting off Callum Irving into the netting despite his best efforts to make a save, and giving Ottawa an early lead.
Though Ottawa racked up 18 shots throughout the match, despite their best efforts they couldn’t extend their lead any further. Nevertheless, their relentless pursuit and solid defense ensured they maintained their 1-0 advantage and kept a clean sheet. In the first half, Ottawa stifled Vancouver, allowing only one shot. Vancouver came close in the 5th minute when a play coming off a corner saw Renan Garcia feed the ball forward past two defenders to Alejandro Díaz in the box. Now one on one with Ingham, Díaz shot and Matteo de Brienne, sprinting towards goal, cleared his attempt away. All this was moot anyways however, as the play was offside to begin with. Still, Vancouver had rebounded quickly to their early setback.
Ottawa took the next two chances, first with Sissoko in the 7th minute heading a non-threatening pass from de Brienne towards Irving, where he easily picked it up after a bounce. Three minutes later, Salter nearly doubled the lead when Morer advanced the ball to him in the box. Salter controlled and turned to shoot, forcing Irving into a save, but the ball rolled just wide of the frame.
Vancouver’s sole opportunity of the half came in the 19th minute. Vasco Fry received a pass and he immediately flicked it on to Díaz, and the striker collected the ball while evading both Tyr Walker and Iliadis. As Díaz went in to shoot, he lost balance and with quick thinking, Ingham had rushed off his line and slid in to grab the ball. However, Ingham didn’t get solid hands on it and it fell loose. With Díaz and Ingham now both on the turf, the keeper was able to locate the ball and get both hands on it, dousing the attack
Following these exciting plays, the closest chances we saw from both sides this first half, were two long-range shots, one by de Brienne in the 31st minute and another by Gabriel Bitar in the 34th minute, but both were skied over the net, bringing the half to a close still 1-0
As the second half unfolded, both teams intensified their efforts, but neither could break through. Ottawa had a golden opportunity to double their lead in the 53rd minute however, when Sissoko was fouled by Fry in the penalty area. Bassett, having claimed the ball for the penalty as soon as the whistle blew, stepped up, aiming for the bottom left corner. However, Irving anticipated the direction perfectly and made an impressive save to keep Ottawa’s lead to one.
Atléti’s next significant chance arrived in the 62nd minute – Bassett quickly returned a pass to Ballou Tabla which allowed him to advance to the byline and cross to meet Rubén Del Campo at the far post. Irving dove to stop the shot, but it was Rocco Romeo who deflected it, sending it centrally where an unmarked Manny Aparicio capitalized on the opportunity to help the ball over Irving, still on the ground. Romeo once again got his foot to the ball, this time sending it out of bounds.
The ensuing corner, taken by the master of olimpicos, Iliadis, saw a stunning shot that hit the far post and fell loose in the box. Tabla got to the rebound first and struck towards goal, but his effort hit Mikaël Cantave and sailed over the net. Iliadis took another corner in the 67th minute, which saw the post deny another possible olimpico, keeping the scoreline intact.
Vancouver’s best chance of the second half came in the 82nd minute when Ayman Sellouf’s pass found Olivier Rommens in the box. Surrounded, Rommen aimed a shot towards the target, which went straight at Ingham. Crouching to collect the ball, it bounced off his gloves and rolled towards the post. Falling to his right, Ingham collected the ball, preventing Cantave from getting to the rebound. In the 85th minute, Rommens tried another shot from distance, but Ingham easily collected it after a bounce off the turf.
The post was Vancouver’s unexpected hero once again in the 84th minute, denying Del Campo’s strike that sent Irving diving left to try and stop the shot. For those counting at home, that is three posts hit so far.
Ottawa had the final chances of the match, with Tabla’s 89th minute shot deflected out for a corner. Sissoko then sent a shot over the crossbar in the first minute of added time, and Tabla’s final attempt from inside the box went high.
ATO’s valiant effort on Saturday did not go unrewarded, as they clinched all three points with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Vancouver FC. The win propelled the team from the nation’s capital back into second place in league standings, and earned Ingham his fifth clean sheet of the season.
Atlético Ottawa head back on the road next week to face Valour FC in Winnipeg. With Ottawa striving to reclaim first place and Valour desperate for points to secure a playoff spot, the match promises to be a thrilling encounter. Join the Capital City Supporters at the Glebe Central Pub for the watch part on September 9th at 8 PM.
