Final Score: Valour FC 0-1 Halifax Wanderers |
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Match in a minute or less
The Halifax Wanderers spoiled yet another home opener to begin the 2025 season, this time at Princess Auto Stadium, scoring late in a 1-0 victory over Valour FC.
Substitute Vitor Dias played hero for Halifax, with a lovely match winner after a clever one-two with fellow substitute Tiago Coimbra in the 90th minute.
This was the fourth straight home opener, including their own, which Halifax played in to open their 2025 season. They have now collected seven points on the road in their first three road matches of the season, already more than the six they collected in all of 2024.
Valour, meanwhile, remain winless, losing for the first time in their home opener since their inaugural home match back in 2019.
Three Observations
Triple attacking substitution shows Wanderers' depth, provides match winner
The Halifax Wanderers were already in the ascendancy in Friday's match in the 66th minute when they lined up three players at the half to come in as attacking subs: Tiago Coimbra, Vitor Dias and Yohan Baï. All three brought energy, directness and creativity immediately to the Halifax side.
Coimbra, in particular, wasted no time getting stuck in, winning four of five aerial duels, five of eight duels overall and creating two chances -- including the winning goal - in under a half-an-hour on the pitch.
Dias, meanwhile, was a creative outlet against an increasingly retreating Valour side. In his cameo appearance, he created two chances, had five touches in the Valour box, and also won possession twice in the final third through some excellent pressing.
The Brazilian-born connection of Dias and Coimbra nearly linked up for a goal in the 78th minute when Dias turned well in the box and played a clever through-ball to Coimbra. However, the Halifax striker could not quite stretch enough to direct his effort on frame.
Instead, it was Coimbra to Dias that ultimately created the 90th-minute breakthrough. Dias showed good instincts to cut to the middle and find Coimbra, who with his back to goal played a lovely flick back into Dias path who finished off the chance calmly.
Through four matches in 2025, the depth of this year's Wanderers is on full display -- and it is a gamechanger. The different profiles of players that they can bring into a match now at any given moment are only going to unsettle opponents and lead to crucial points gained for the Wanderers, just as it did on Friday night.
Outstanding Halifax back three crucial in keeping first clean sheet of 2025
Clean sheets weren't particularly common for the Halifax Wanderers last season, in fact they only earned four.
Now in their fourth game of 2025, they kept their first of the year through an outstanding defensive performance, particularly from their back three. There is no question that Halifax would not have been in the position they were to win the match in the 90th minute if it was not for these efforts.
Thomas Meilleur-Giguère, joined by Adam Pearlman and Kareem Sow have formed an increasingly effective trio that is doing a lot to provide the cover and foundation for the Wanderers' new attacking identity.
Often forced to defend in transition because of the side's aggressive attacking tendencies, they, along with goalkeeper Rayane Yesli, do a brilliant job of adjusting and adapting to any danger opponents present.
Especially in the first half, Valour peppered the Halifax box with threatening crosses, but Halifax did incredibly well making sure they didn't reach their intended target.
Pearlman did a particularly excellent job at defending the back post, winning three of his four aerial duels and making six clearances.
Meilleur-Giguère, meanwhile, is the clear leader of that group. He won five of seven duels and made seven clearances on Friday night. His love of the position and all it entails is infectious and igniting his teammates early in this season.
The group's commitment to and enjoyment of defending is clear, and it is making the Wanderers much harder to beat in 2025.
"I think the relationships have developed," said Wanderers head coach Patrice Gheisar after the match. "Rayane [Yesli] has continued to get better and more comfortable. I thought Adam Pearlman had his best game of the season, and I was very, very happy with Thomas and Kareem, you know, Thomas has come in, and Thomas is showing us why he's one of the best defenders in this league with the experience that he has, and he knows a lot, and he just loves defending. So I'm really happy for all of them, because they've been wanting that [clean sheet] really badly."
Valour FC find joy down the flanks, but unable to get final product
There was a clear attacking strategy for the hosts on Friday night, and in a lot of ways it was incredibly effective.
On a wide Princess Auto Field, Valour looked to the flanks in order to try to get in behind the Halifax wingbacks, and ideally stretch the Wanderers' back three.
They were able to find wingers Kris Twardek and Jordan Faria -- as well as occasionally fullbacks Themi Antonoglou and Zachary Fernandez, in good space down the flanks, leading to a substantial amount of crossing opportunities.
Particularly in the first half, Twardek was the focal point of the Valour attack, delivering nine crosses into the box, eight in the first half alone. Antonoglou had eight of his own across the match as well, Faria had six, and Valour in general finished with 34 crosses attempted.
Unfortunately for Valour, only five of those found their target. Shaan Hundal was often isolated in the middle up against three or more Halifax central defenders, and Valour's best opportunities were created by one winger crossing to the other at the back post.
After the match, Valour coach Daryl Fordyce made it clear that his team need to get more numbers into the box if they want to play this way, in order to increase their chances of getting on the end of these dangerous deliveries.
What They Said
“I thought the game was always going to be one opportunity for either team to win. And when you look back at the [Dias goal] we just let their player play the ball in, he ran and he wasn't followed, and he scored. It was poor on our end on the defensive side. But it was always going to be one opportunity in the game for either side to win." — Valour FC assistant coach Daryl Fordyce
“I think what's really important the energy that they bring in. It just brings a different element, like they literally put in 90 minutes of work into the 20 minutes that they're getting. So I thought every single person was a difference maker” — Halifax Wanderers head coach Patrice Gheisar
“Last season was tough for the whole team. We always struggled away. But this year is a fresh start and already matching the points that we had away from home last season in three away games tells a lot about how much better we are this season.” — Halifax Wanderers midfielder Vitor Dias
CanPL.ca Player of the Match
Adam Pearlman, Halifax Wanderers
The 20-year-old central defender continues to demonstrate improvement -- and had his best CPL performance yet on Friday night in Winnipeg. Defensively outstanding, Pearlman stayed switched on throughout the full 90 and made some key interventions. He also did an excellent job of progressing the ball forward from the back throughout the match.
What’s next?
Valour remain at home, where they next take on Vancouver FC on Saturday, May 3 (6 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. ET). Halifax, meanwhile, have two matches against Forge FC coming up, first in the league on Saturday, May 4 (5 p.m. AT / 4 p.m. ET) at home, before heading to Hamilton for a Canadian Championship matchup on Wednesday, May 7.
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