Vancouver FC and Island rivals Pacific FC combined for the first-ever 4-4 match in Canadian Premier League history, in the third Salish Sea Derby of the season 鈥� a back-and-forth game in Langford that featured seven second-half goals.
After the dust settled, Vancouver FC head coach Afshin Ghotbi gave the game a great review, but not the outcome.
"I've been in some crazy matches, and this ranks right up there," Ghotbi said post-game.
"I think if we had played five more minutes, there would have been two more goals."
Ghotbi went on to praise "the fighting spirit that both teams showed, how many times the game turned around from one team to the other, I'm really happy for the game, and I'm happy for the fans. I'm also a little bit disappointed deep inside, because I think we had the victory in our hands and we let it slip away, but I'm very proud of the performance, effort and the spirit that we showed tonight."
It was just the second time in club history that VFC have scored four times in one game (they scored four in a 4-1 win vs. Valour in April of 2024).
Aly Ndom opened the scoring for Pacific on a corner in the 17th minute, then he scored again in the 54th minute to put his team up 2-0.
Vancouver responded with a goal from Henri Godbout in the 55th minute, before tying the game with a David Norman Jr. free kick in the 64th minute.
Pacific regained their lead in the 76th minute through a Yann Toualy goal, but then Vancouver turned the game on its head late, when Path茅 Ndiaye tied the game in the 89th minute, and Nicol谩s Mezquida put his team ahead in the first minute of second-half stoppage time.
Pacific found an equalizer in the third minute of stoppage time, when Kadin Chung squeezed in a shot past Vancouver's goalkeeper, Callum Irving, for what was eventually ruled as an Irving own goal.
Eagles are set to return to action on July 5 when they travel to Hamilton, Ontario to face Forge FC.
That match will serve as preparation for a critical encounter on July 8, when Vancouver FC faces Cavalry FC in a decisive Canadian Championship fixture. The winner of that match will secure a historic spot in the tournament鈥檚 semifinals, something Vancouver FC has never achieved before.
Vancouver FC will return home on July 13 to host Cavalry FC once again.
