Bottom-of-the-table Valour FC and league-leaders Atlético Ottawa played to a thrilling 2-2 draw in the nation’s capital on Sunday afternoon.

Atlético Ottawa took an early lead through a Themi Antonoglou own off a corner kick, but the visitors responded well equalizing before the half on a first professional goal for Safwane Mlah. The visitors then took the lead in the 67th minute through Frank Facchineri, before Atleti’s Rubén del Campo equalized in the 73rd.

Within 20 seconds of the match, Valour had given away a corner kick. Ollie Bassett’s delivery flew into the path of Tyr Walker, whose glancing header deflected off the back of Antonoglou and past Jonathan Viscosi, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead less than a minute into the match.

Valour’s responded well, however, enjoying the majority of the ball through the first 25 minutes of the match and moving it well between the lines. This led to a few half chances, as they tested Atleti goalkeeper Nate Ingham from distance twice.

In the 26th minute, they found their equalizer. Diogo Ressurreição played a lovely ball out to the left flank, which Antonoglou chipped into the box. Ingham made brilliant saves on both Jordan Swibel and Shaan Hundal, but the second rebound came to Mlah, whose composed low shot beat the Atleti goalkeeper through his legs.

Atleti were able to create a couple more opportunities in the last five minutes of the half, getting to the byline and able to play quality cutbacks to the top of the box. Efforts from Ballou Tabla and Gabriel Antinoro, however, did not test Viscosi. Ingham made one more great save before the half, as Swibel was played in behind and he came out to deny the Valour striker and collect the rebound. The two sides went into the half deadlocked at 1-1.

The hosts came quickly out of the break, creating an early chance courtesy of some lovely play between Manny Aparicio and Tabla. However, the latter’s shot was dragged well wide of the target.

Valour, however, handled the pressure well, and picked their moments to go forward. In the 67th minute, they won a corner kick of their own. Antonoglou’s delivery found Facchineri in the box, who beat his man to the ball in the box and headed it past Ingham to make the score 2-1. It was his first CPL goal.

But substitute Sam Salter wasn’t willing to let his side fall behind for too long, as just eight minutes later he got onto the end of a throw-in from Bassett and hit a low cross that del Campo hammered home for his league-leading eighth of the season.

The hosts nearly won it in the last minute of the 90, but Viscosi made a brilliant double save, first on substitute Zachary Roy, then on del Campo. Seven minutes of added time could not create a winner, as Valour shut up shop and held on for an impressive point, having just played in Halifax on Thursday.

With the draw, top-of-the-table Atlético Ottawa have now won just one match in their past five at home.

BOX SCORE

Lineups 

Atlético Ottawa: Ingham; Morer, Walker (Singh 59′), Didić, Twardek; Bassett (Torres 86′), Zapater (Roy 86′), Aparicio, Antinoro (Sissoko 59′); Tabla, del Campo (Salter 73′) 

Valour FC: Viscosi; Campbell, Facchineri, Mourdoukoutas, Antonoglou (Haynes 90+4′); Ressurreição, Ohin, Mlah (Chantzopoulos 90+4′), Faria (Binate 82′); Hundal (Kwemi 68′), Swibel 

Goals

1′ — Themi Antonoglou (Valour FC) — Own goal
26′ — Safwane Mlah (Valour FC)
67′ — Frank Facchineri (Valour FC)
73′ — Rubén del Campo (Atlético Ottawa) 

Discipline

33′ — Yellow: Manny Aparicio (Atlético Ottawa)
45′ — Yellow: Themi Antonoglou (Valour FC)
54′ — Yellow: Ballou Tabla (Atlético Ottawa)
79′ — Yellow: Ollie Bassett (Atlético Ottawa)
79′ — Yellow: Raphael Ohin (Valour FC)