April 27, 2025...York United, Forge battle to thrilling draw in 905 Derby (from canpl.ca)

York United, Forge battle to thrilling draw in 905 Derby | Match Analysis
27/04/2025
Written by:Mitchell Tierney

Final Score: York United 2-2 Forge FC
Goalscorers: Ferrazzo 14', Altobelli 29' (pen.); Rama 12', Wright 33' (pen.)
Game of the 2025 season: 15
CPL Match: 611

Match in a minute or less

The first 905 Derby of 2025 provided plenty of drama, but no winner, as York United and Forge FC played to a 2-2 draw at York Lions Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Rezart Rama opened the scoring for Forge in the 12th minute. York quickly responded in the 14th minute, however, through a brilliant curling strike from Riley Ferrazzo.

The Nine Stripes briefly took the lead in the 29th minute when Julian Altobelli scored from the penalty spot, before Brian Wright responded in the 33rd minute with a penalty of his own.

Forge remain undefeated in their past eight matches in all competitions against the Nine Stripes, but drop points for a second consecutive week. York, meanwhile, are still searching for their first home victory of the season.

Three Observations

Thrilling 905 Derby defined by 17 first-half minutes of chaos

There is no doubt that Sunday's match between rivals Forge FC and York United was a well-contested 90 minutes, but it was 17 of those in the first half that changed the game.

Starting with Rezart Rama's opener in the 12th minute, the match ignited.

York found an equalizer just two minutes later through a Riley Ferrazzo stunner, a moment which seemed to instantly remove all of the nerves which came from their recent defeats.

They took over the match thereafter, hitting the woodwork in the 28th minute on a deflected Julian Altobelli header. Mere seconds later, Gabriel Bitar was brought down in the box, and Altobelli scored from the penalty spot.

Almost off of kick off after the penalty, former York United striker Brian Wright was in behind for Forge, forcing a good save from Diego Urtiaga. He would have his moment at his former stomping grounds, however, as a handball in the York box offered him an opportunity from the penalty spot in the 33rd minute. He stepped up and struck it well to tie the match at 2-2.

For the Nine Stripes, they have already dropped a stunning eight points from winning positions this season through four matches.

The second half wasn't nearly as thrilling, with only one shot on target from the two sides -- a fairly comfortable save from Jassem Koleilat on Julian Altobelli. After a first half where expected goals were 2.75 for Forge and 1.35 for York, the second frame saw just 0.12 and 0.35 for those sides, respectively.

Neither side will leave Sunday's match satisfied, but after back-to-back losses in difficult circumstances, it was an especially positive response from York United.

York United's dynamic fullbacks igniting their attack

Last week in the nation's capital, York United's two goals in a 3-2 loss to Atlético Ottawa were created by their marauding pair of wing-backs. First, it was Max Ferrari down the right who played a perfect ball into the path of Julian Altobelli to open the scoring in the 11th minute, before Riley Ferrazzo added their second with a shot-cross in the 83rd minute.

Again on Sunday, the pair provided crucial width and creativity in attack for the Nine Stripes. Ferrazzo added his second goal in as many games in the 14th minute with a stunning strike from the top left of the box which curled into the top right corner. This time, it was full intentional after last week's somewhat lucky goal at TD Place.

Ferrari, meanwhile, was a threat down the flank throughout the match. In the 8th minute, he forced a good save out of Jassem Koleilat -- one of three shot attempts he had during the match.

Having Ferrari provide width down the right flank is vital to York's attacking system this season, because it allows Gabriel Bitar to drift centrally and play basically as a number ten behind Julian Altobelli in a fluid attacking system.

In this role, Bitar has the freedom to find different pockets of space to create attacking opportunities. It was in one such pocket that Bitar was brought down in the 28th minute, earning a penalty.

Both Ferrari and Ferrazzo continue to show incredible fitness to get back and do their defensive duties as well -- making them effective on both sides of the ball and vital to the success of this new York system under head coach Mauro Eustáquio.

Forge left frustrated after switching off after early goal

Sunday's match got off to a near-perfect start for Forge.

A well-executed attack down the right flank saw Alessandro Hojabrpour play a lovely ball over the top into the path of Tristan Borges, who cut into the box and squared for Rezart Rama. The Forge right-back had made a clever run through the middle to allow himself to be in a spot to finish off the move and give Forge a 1-0 lead just 12 minutes into the match.

It was the kind of goal that Forge have scored at York Lions Stadium on many occasions, as they have generally dominated this rivalry in recent vintage.

What happened next, however, was very much not in the traditional Forge DNA. Just two minutes later, Forge goalkeeper Jassem Koleilat was picking the ball out of his own net after a series of mistakes led to Riley Ferrazzo getting too much time and space at the top of the box to pick out a corner and level the score.

York continued to dominate for the next 15 minutes, with six shot attempts and hitting the woodwork before another frustrating mistake for Forge, as Borges brought down Gabriel Bitar in the box. Altobelli stepped up and scored the ensuing penalty.

Forge did get themselves level with their own penalty four minutes later -- with Brian Wright now scoring in a second consecutive match on a well-taken penalty. But they will be disappointed to have lost control of the match the way they did.

What's concerning for Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis is that he sees this as a bit of a pattern. Last week as well against Valour, he felt his side got off to a great start, before dropping off.

He said that taking their foot off the gas early in Sunday's contest, as well as the errors that led to this taking place, removed Forge's control of the match. That introduced an element that the Hamilton club also try to avoid: randomness.

"If you want me to explain the next 75 minutes? Random," said Smyrniotis.

What They Said

“I thought that the players today showed personality, show that there has been growth on the mental side as well. It's good to see. It's good to see because you have a lot of quality technically. Guys are understanding it. Technically, the players that we have out there. It's up to us as a staff to grow them on the mental side.” — York United head coach Mauro Eustáquio

“If you look right after the [first goal] we've made, what they call in tennis four unforced errors. Just right after we've scored. Usually, something comes out of that. Goals come from brilliance or errors from a team. That's what happened, and then lose a little bit of your concentration. First 10-15 minutes, game plan good, getting in the right zones, playing around their block, then we score and stop in that moment.” — Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis

CanPL.ca Player of the Match
Julian Altobelli, York United
Altobelli's incredible start to his time with the Nine Stripes continued on Sunday as he scored his league-leading fourth goal of the season, and added an assist. He also had seven shot attempts and had six touches in the box.

What’s next?

York United remain at home for a pair of big matches, first hosting defending champions Cavalry FC on Friday, May 2 (8 p.m. ET), before Ligue1 Québec side Laval come to town in the Canadian Championship on Tuesday, May 6 (7 p.m. ET). Forge, meanwhile, have a double header against Halifax Wanderers coming up, first in the league in Halifax on Saturday, May 3 (4 p.m. ET) before returning home for a CanChamp clash on Wednesday, May 7 (7 p.m. ET).

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