Championship match in Canadian Premier League Sunday was wild and wild in so many ways.
Typically a football match lasts 90 minutes of playing time, and sometimes requires an additional half hour to complete if the teams are tied.
Sunday's final between Atlético Ottawa and the defending champion Calgary Cavaliers at TD Place in Ottawa lasted four hours due to a snowstorm that created ankle-deep conditions and caused delays in gameplay.
When all was said and done, Atlético Ottawa defeated Calgary 2-1 in overtime.
“Even if we played in the water, in the pool, we would have won the match,” Ottawa head coach Diego Mejia said confidently after the match.
Environment Canada issued a snow warning for the Ottawa region on Sunday. The squall is forecast to begin in the morning and intensify by nightfall. The Federal Meteorological Agency predicts 10 to 20 centimeters of snow.
And boy did it fall.
For the first half of the final, the green field was covered in white as players battled for control of the orange-colored ball, which is used to provide good visibility in poor conditions.
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At one point in the footage, Atlético Ottawa goalkeeper Nathan Ingham grabbed a snow shovel during a break in the game to help the officials clear the lines.
By the end of 90 minutes the score was 1-1 and the Plows needed a 60-minute delay to clear the field for extra time.
Atlético Ottawa forward David Rodriguez beat Cavalry goalkeeper Marco Carducci in the 106th minute to give Ottawa the win.
The first goal came in the 33rd minute when Cavalry defender Fraser Aird scored a penalty. Atlético fans greeted the celebrating players with a hail of snowballs.
Just six minutes later, Ottawa midfielder Gabriel Antonaro sent a ball into the box that eluded the crowd through the snow until Rodriguez attempted a bicycle kick, hitting a beauty standing on the crossbar for the tying goal.
Rodriguez, a Mexican citizen, had never seen snow before February of this year.
Chances were difficult to find in the second half as the ever-increasing snow cover forced players to slide due to lack of traction.
The best defender of the deadlock was Ottawa's substitute midfielder Aboubakar Sissoko, who heroically saved a shot off the goal line with just over 10 minutes left in regulation.
After the snowplows cleared away most of the white debris, overtime became a different game as players struggled to stay on their feet.
This led to a fast break in which Atlético's Rodriguez played hero for the second time, racing past Aird and chipping past Carducci to score.
Cavaleria fought desperately for the lead in the final minutes of extra time, but Atlético managed to clinch the North Star Cup.
“I will never forget this night,” Rodriguez said. “I just want to thank all the people who came out tonight.”
As champions of the Canadian Premier League, Atlético are set to play in the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup, where they will take on the best clubs in North, Central America and the Caribbean.
— With files from The Canadian Press.
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