In a match that ebbed and flowed like the prairie wind, Cavalry FC snatched all three points at the death on Sunday evening, as talisman Sergio Camargo’s 93rd-minute strike secured a 2-1 victory over Valour FC at Winnipeg’s Princess Auto Stadium.
Camargo’s late winner, which was his fourth goal of the season, capped off a chaotic final stretch that saw both teams flirt with a decisive goal.
For Cavalry, it was not just a timely win to snap a two-game skid, but also a historic one. The win was their 100th victory across all competitions since the club’s inception in 2019.
“That’s the character we have,” said head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. post-match. “We know we’ll always create one more chance. That’s the Sir Alex Ferguson clock we’re playing with.”
Valour start fast, but fail to capitalize
Despite the final result, Valour will feel they were the better side for large portions of the match. They came flying out of the gate, carving open Cavalry’s backline with a flurry of early chances.
Inside the opening two minutes, right winger Kianz Froese set up Safwane Mlah for a powerful strike inside the box, only to be denied by a sharp Marco Carducci save.
Moments later, defender Kelsey Egwu broke forward from the back and initiated a slick passing move that led to Kian Williams being thwarted again by Carducci’s quick reactions.
By the 14-minute mark, Valour had already fired three warning shots, with Myles Morgan, Froese, and Williams combining in an electric attacking triangle. But for all their dominance, they lacked the clinical edge to make it count.
Cavalry’s first major chance came in the 20th minute through Ali Musse, who fired wide after Tobias Warschewski bulldozed through midfield to tee him up. A Musse-Piepgrass combination just before halftime also threatened, but the breakthrough had to wait.
Montgomery’s moment, Bruno’s brilliance, and chaos to close
It took just five minutes after the restart for Cavalry to break the deadlock.
Fraser Aird’s pinpoint delivery from a right-sided free kick found the head of centre-back Callum Montgomery, who powered it past Valour keeper Jonathan Viscosi for a textbook set-piece goal – his second of the CPL campaign.
Valour responded admirably with Gianfranco Facchineri nearly equalizing with a rebound effort off a free kick of their own. His shot, however, stayed out after grazing the crossbar.
The leveler for the Winnipeg outfit did come in the 82nd minute. And it was worth the wait.
Second-half substitute Bruno Figueiredo sliced through Cavalry’s midfield and defence with a dazzling solo run, beating Montgomery with a silky feint before slamming a low strike past Carducci. It was a deserved goal, the kind Valour fans have been craving all season.
At that point, a draw looked likely. But Cavalry had other ideas. First came a warning shot in the 91st minute when Ali Musse’s curling free kick beat Viscosi but not the post.
Then, just two minutes later, substitute Tom Field pressed high to force a turnover in midfield. The ball landed at Camargo’s feet, and the midfielder made no mistake, calmly slotting home from inside the box after some scintillating footwork.
“When they [Valour FC] scored the first goal, I wasn’t too worried,” Camargo said after the match. “I liked the way we were playing. We had chances. Musse’s free kick nearly went in. And I knew another one would come.”
Trouble for Valour as Cavalry climb up the table
For Valour, this latest defeat follows a painful but familiar script: a promising first half, a goal conceded early in the second, and then another one late in the match.
The Winnipeg club now leads the league in goals conceded in the opening 15 minutes after halftime, and sits among the worst in the final 15 as well.
They’ve now dropped five straight CPL matches and remain rooted to the bottom of the table, 13 points adrift of fifth-place York United and the final playoff spot.
“We’re all aware,” said head coach Philip Dos Santos. “There’s no magic recipe. We just need to keep doing the little things well and hope the wind changes a little for us. This team needs a result.”
Sunday’s performance was, in many ways, a significant improvement on their 4-0 loss to Cavalry earlier this season. But in a results-driven league, style points don’t count.
On the other hand, with this win, Cavalry leap into third place after matchday 15, breathing new life into their title pursuit.
With makeshift midfield solutions like Eryk Kobza filling in for injured Shamit Shome, their performance may not have been vintage, but the grit and late-game resilience showed why this team remains a playoff mainstay.
“We always find different ways to win,” Camargo added. “That’s been part of our success throughout the years.”
