At the end of regulation play, Vancouver FC was leading Ottawa 1-0 and looked like they were about to post their first win of the season after three losses in a row.
But then, 10 minutes of second-half stoppage time were added to the game, enough for Ottawa to score.
Under Canadian Premier League rules, stoppage time can be added by a referee to compensate for time lost during the match due to injuries, substitutions, video reviews, or time-wasting.
It was a wild game, described in one account as “102 minutes of madness” with the visiting Eagles getting one on the board after a scoreless first half. It was wild.
In the 58th minute, Ottawa’s Ballou Tabla was brought down in the box. Initially, he was shown a yellow card for simulation (feigning injury or pretending to have been fouled), but after Atletico used their Football Video Support (FVS) challenge, the call was reversed and the hosts were awarded a penalty kick.
After Ottawa’s shot was denied by a diving Callum Irving, Vancouver instantly retaliated.
Morey Doner clipped a ball into the path of Mohamed Amissi, who headed home his first CPL goal, and the club’s first of the season, to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead.
Three points seemed in the bag, but then the stoppage time call was made.
Seven minutes in, Ottwa’s Emiliano García stole what would have been Vancouver FC’s first win of 2026, and first ever in Ottawa.
Post-game, Irving looked on the bright side.
“Today we got a goal, which is a step forward, and a point which is a step forward from the first three games” Irving said.
“But naturally, like everyone else in the locker room, I’m disappointed, because we did enough to get three points and yet again, we didn’t. We don’t train hard every week to come and lose and draw on the weekend.”
Amissi was named CPLSoccer.com Player of the Match.
The Burundi international winger scored Vancouver FC’s first goal of 2026. Playing first as a winger and then a centre-forward across the 90 minutes, Amissi had three shot attempts.
Next, Vancouver FC will take on rivals Pacific FC in the first Salish Sea Derby of 2026 at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria on Sunday, May 3 at 4 p.m.