| Final Score: Halifax Wanderers 4-1 Valour FC Goalscorers: Facchineri 38' (o.g.), Coimbra 57', 73', 77'; Ressurreiçao 83' Game of the 2025 season: 77 CPL Match: 672 |
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Match in a minute or less
The Halifax Wanderers ended a six game winless streak with a statement in a 4-1 victory over Valour FC at the Wanderers Grounds on Friday night.
Tiago Coimbra's hat-trick was the difference, the first in Wanderers' history, as he scored three second-half goals in the space of 20 minutes. Gianfranco Facchineri's own goal in the 38th minute, and a late consolation effort from Diogo Ressurreiçao in the 83rd minute rounded out the scoring.
The win pushes Halifax up into fourth place in the table, and puts another big dent in Valour's playoff hopes, as they now could be 14 points below the line by the end of the weekend.
Three Observations
Relentless Tiago Coimbra scores first hat-trick in Halifax Wanderers history
It was a historic night at the Wanderers Grounds on Friday, as Tiago Coimbra scored the first hat-trick in club history.
Opening his account on the night with a well-taken penalty in the 57th minute, he followed that up with clinical finishes in the 73rd and 77th.
After the third goal, he celebrated by pulling out a mask with the face of Wanderers' assistant coach, and U-21 head coach, Oliver Hewish -- who is getting married on Sunday.
It was an emotional moment for the 21-year-old Coimbra, who, finally healthy, is firing on all cylinders for the Wanderers this season.
"I'm still speechless," said Coimbra post-match. "The only thing I can say is, I thank God, because if you look at two years ago, I was going through so many injuries, like went through a very tough time in my career, and like if I'm about to live what I'm living at the moment and be able to help the team the way I am, it's just God. Just God, honestly."
Coimbra's hat-trick came from a match where he was relentless in front of goal, setting a league record for shot attempts with a stunning 10 on the night. Six of those were on target.
Early in the match, he saw a few excellent chances denied brilliantly by Emil Gazdov, but just kept on firing. Speaking to the media post-match, Coimbra said this shoot-first mentality has been honed in training, where he has spent a lot of time in front of the goal. Now, he says, basically and time he sees a lane to shoot he's going to take it.
Coimbra is now up to 11 goals on the season, which is just one behind Atlético Ottawa's Sam Salter in the league's Golden Boot race.
Ironically, it is the first time a Wanderer has scored double-digit goals since Salter managed 11 for Halifax back in 2022.
The next bit of history that might be on Coimbra's mind? The club and league record of 14 set by João Morelli back in 2021. He has eight games left to do it.
Halifax snap winless streak with a massive home victory
Winless in six, and in front of their home fans on Friday night, Halifax needed something to restore hope both internally and externally.
The Wanderers came out firing, forcing six saves from Valour goalkeeper Emil Gazdov inside the opening 38 minutes.
On the rebound of that sixth shot came a moment of fortune that felt like it had eluded them in recent weeks, as Valour defender Gianfranco Facchineri inadvertently nodded the ball into his own net.
Crucial to their success on Friday night was taking that lead into half-time for just the fourth time this season, and the first time in nine matches.
From there, they weathered a Valour storm early in the second half, before Tiago Coimbra took over with three goals between the 57th and 77th minutes.
The striker's outstanding effort in front of goal will be the story of the match for obvious reasons, but were also the result of some excellent build-up from Halifax as well, particularly down the flanks.
On the left, Sean Rea finished the match with an assist on four chances created and also attempted seven dribbles. Vitor Dias, meanwhile, created plenty down the right as well, including putting the necessary pressure on Facchineri, which led to Halifax's opener.
For Halifax, Friday's performance and result felt like just what the doctor ordered to restore their confidence.
Valour's playoff hopes dealt another big blow
For a second consecutive week, Valour FC dropped points against an opponent just above the playoff line -- and on Friday night, it was all three as they see that line get further away on the horizon.
This felt like a now-or-never match for Valour to create some belief that a first-ever playoff appearance in club history was still possible. Instead, they were nowhere near in another disappointing road display.
Valour are now up to a stunning 31 goals conceded in 10 road matches this season, which is over three per match on average.
They were left frustrated with the manner in which those goals were conceded for different reasons. A dubious penalty for Tiago Coimbra in the 57th minute did feel like a turning point in the match -- but Valour did not respond well at all thereafter.
Particularly on the last two Halifax goals, also scored by Coimbra, it was an all too familiar story for Valour defensively.
"Then comes two situations where it's a throw-in for the opposition and we let our runners go," said Valour FC manager Phil Dos Santos. "And I said to my group, there are certain players who need to understand the urgency of defending. And when you let runners get past you, if you have no interest to defend the action, then it's on us. And to me, that's the difference, there's people who don't want to understand that football is played with urgency for 90 minutes."
What They Said
"The most important thing is that the group's been consistently growing. They've never stopped believing. They've never stopped working. We've continued to challenge ourselves, and we've learned a lot." — Halifax Wanderers head coach Patrice Gheisar
"We need to show more urgency. And I look at our season, and I think too many times we make things easy for the opposition." — Valour FC head coach Phil Dos Santos
CanPL.ca Player of the Match
Tiago Coimbra, Halifax Wanderers
A first hat-trick in club history and the most shots attempted (10) in league history, six of which were on target, headlined an all-round dominant performance from the Halifax number nine. He also had 11 touches in the box and won six of 10 duels.
What’s next?
Halifax remain at home, where they take on York United on Labour Day Monday, September 1 (4 p.m. AT). Valour, meanwhile, are back home for a matchup with Pacific FC on Sunday, August 31 (2 p.m. CT).
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