Ballou Tabla scored a quick-fire brace last weekend to give Atlético Ottawa the victory over FC Edmonton with the Canadian forward highlighting the influence of the electric home support.
Despite the turbulent weather that caused issues throughout the match, Atlético’s faithful stood by their words signing loud through thunderous rain and the beating sunshine, pushing for a fourth home win of the season.
Ottawa dominated the early exchanges and could’ve been out of sight by the time the storm rolled in but the rain couldn’t dampen the spirits inside TD Place, although it inevitably affected the play. Tabla would find the breakthrough though as, mid-way through the second half, the 23-year-old turned his defender inside and out before lashing home from close range.
“I love being in these positions, close to the opposition’s net,” he explained after the game. “It allows me to receive the ball as a ten or to make runs in behind, so I think it’s a good position for me.”
Tabla is a fan favourite and, having doubled the lead not five minutes later, he was back in front of the supporter’s section (‘The Dub’) celebrating as the crowd serenaded Atleti’s top scorer – joint with Ollie Bassett on five goals for the season.
“It’s an incredible feeling, it makes you want to do it again seeing the joy of the fans,” said Tabla. “They don’t stop, they support us from the beginning to the end of the match and you feel that on the pitch.
“Since I signed here in Ottawa I’ve been so happy. I thank the City and the fans for bringing me this happiness. I feel it inside of me. We are a family and we are close to each other. Even when we lose everyone loses, coaches, the staff, everyone. We have this mentality where we know even if we go behind, we can come back and win those kinds of games.”
With each passing game, the Candian forward’s influence on the result seems to grow and his connection with midfielders like Bassett and Zakaria Bahous is causing further problems to opposition players and endearing him further to the local fan base.
Here’s some shots from Ballou’s stellar match last weekend ⤵️
Join us for our next home match!
Wednesday nights under the lights at TD Place are special nights. HFX Wanderers make the journey to TD Place on August 17th. Kickoff is 7pm. When we play Halifax, it’s always an exciting match.
We hope to continue a pretty decent run of form against the Wanderers this season, beating them 1-0 back in April at TD Place and coming away from Wanderers Grounds in June with a 2-0 win.
We continue our quest for top of the table and would like you to join us. GET TICKETS NOW!
