Toronto FC x CF Montreal

The Canadian Classique delivered fireworks once again on April 30, as CF Montréal pulled off a stunning comeback to knock rivals Toronto FC out of the 2025 TELUS Canadian Championship in a dramatic 3-2 penalty shootout win after a 2-2 draw in regulation at BMO Field.

Toronto looked poised to advance after Theo Corbeanu rifled in a rocket of a left-footed strike in the 30th minute, and they kept control for much of the match. But Montréal refused to go quietly. In the 70th minute, defender Joel Waterman smashed in a half-volley off a Luca Petrasso cross to level it, only for Toronto to hit right back moments later. Tyrese Spicer finished off a brilliant Corbeanu run in the 74th to make it 2-1.

Just when it looked like Toronto would see it out, Giacomo Vrioni turned up with a moment of brilliance in the 89th minute, an acrobatic left-footed volley that silenced the home crowd and sent the match to penalties.

Then came the heroics. Montréal keeper Jonathan Sirois came up huge, stopping both Spicer and Ola Brynhildsen in the shootout. Dominic Iankov calmly buried the winning kick, sealing Montréal’s spot in the quarterfinals and sending their players into wild celebration.

Not only was it Montréal’s first win of the season in any competition, it was their first under interim boss Marco Donadel, and it couldn’t have come in a bigger moment. Next stop: a showdown with either Forge FC or Halifax Wanderers.

[Photography by acethetic.film]