VORKUTA RALLY FOR CSL CHAMPIONSHIP VICTORY

 Liber Soria photo

While there is little doubt that Scarborough SC had the edge in the first half of a tough, entertaining  encounter to deserve a 1-0 lead at halftime of the Canadian Soccer League championship final at Racco Park in Vaughan Saturday, it became even more clear as the game progressed that FC Vorkuta was taking control during the second half and looked like the eventual winner moving to the final whistle.

Scarborough, the defending champions, looked determined early and came close to scoring on several raids, mostly on the left where midfielder Neven Radakovic was a constant danger to the Vorkuta goal and played a part when Scarborough took the lead at the 40^th minute mark. Defender Angel Angelov found the net past Vorkuta goalkeeper Anatolli Starushchenko from a Radakovic cross for a 1-0 lead at the break.

Vorkuta rallied early in the second half and midfielder Bohdan Borovskyi  struck at 56 minutes to tie the score 1-1, a goal that set Vorkuta on the way to a further rally that led to the winning goal at 70 minutes  by substitute Pavlo Chornomaz who entered the game early in the second half.

It’s the second CSL Championship for Vorkuta following the memorable penalty kicks victory against Scarborough in 2018 and follows league titles in 2017, 2018 and 2019, to be one of the most successful expansion clubs to enter the Canadian Soccer League. FC Vorkuta first entered Canadian professional soccer in May 2017 following several seasons at the amateur level in Toronto and York Region after being launched in 2008 by Russian immigrants Samad Kadirov and Toronto lawyer Igor Demitchev, the major investor.

Scarborough won the CSL First Division in the season just ended and Saturday’s championship final was the fourth in succession, claiming victory in 2019.

FC Vorkuta

Anatolli Starushchenko (Goalkeeper), Illia Piltenko (Defender), Liubomyr Halchuck (Defender), Mykyta Tkachov (Defender), Bohdan Borovskyi (Midfielder), Sergii Ivliev (Midfielder), Vadym Gostiev (Midfielder), Serhii Melnyk (Midfielder), Dmytro  Polyuhanych (Midfielder), Roman Sakhno (Midfielder),

Mykola Temniuk (Forward)

Substitutes:

Oleksandr Lozinskyi (Goalkeeper), Oleksandar Alieksieiev (Defender) 78 min., King Cannes Choy (Midfielder), Pavlo Chomomaz (Midfielder) 57 min., Iaroslav Solonynko (Midfielder) 57 min., Amir Hossein Karami (Midfielder), Viktor Raskov (Forward), Oleksandr Volchkov, Kristijan Kezic.

Head Coach: Yanchuk Denys GM: Samad Kadirov

Scarborough:

Vladimir Dragicevic (Goalkeeper), Angel Angelov (Defender), Ricardo Fonseca (Defender), Jesus Eduardo Compean Gonzales (Defender), Vladimir Zelenbaba (Midfielder), Amir Hosic (Midfielder), Odain Omaro Simpson (Midfielder), Neven Radakovic (Midfielder), Michael Feyehun (Midfielder), Gonzalo Matias Cabrera Celis (Forward), Alyass Taha (Forward).

Substitutes:

Daniel McIntosh (Defender), Halburto Harris (Defender), Marvin Oneil Morgan (Midfielder) 78 min.,Dragan Cicovic (Midfielder) 73 min., Ivan Prieto (Midfielder), Zoran Rajovic (Midfielder) 70 min.,Milorad Stefanovic (Midfielder), Krum Bibishkov (Forward), Aleksander Stojiljkovic (Forward), Moussa Limane (Forward)

Head Coach: Zoran Rajovic GM: Kiril Dimitrov

Referee: Braden K., Assistant referees: Afsar Khan, Timor Qayoum, 4^th Official: David Sardina

Ground: Racco Park, Vaughan, Ont.