The boys in blue battled hard in front of a packed stadium in Halifax on Wednesday night as they faced off against CF Montreal.
Although the HFX Wanderers were knocked out of Canadian cup contention, it was still a big night for the team as they played in front of a sold out and cheering crowd.
Montreal managed to get past them with a 3-1 win to secure the second of four semifinal spots in the Canadian Championship in Major League Soccer.
The game started off close with Cory Bent getting a goal on the scoreboard for Halifax in the 28th minute, putting the Wanderers up 1-0.
Have a look at that Bent goal
HFX 1-0 CFM #TogetherWeAreHome #HFXvCFM pic.twitter.com/agfRFg8uuc
— HFX Wanderers FC (@HFXWanderersFC) September 22, 2021
But Montreal’s Balou Tabla managed to score a pair of late goals to claim the victory and ultimately send the team through to the semis.
The competition features all Canadian teams from various levels.
Meantime, Wanderers Grounds was at full capacity, setting a new attendance record as more than 6,000 people filled the venue to wildly cheer for their team.
HFX Wanderers. (CREDIT: HFX Wanderers Twitter)
The championship quarters were able to go ahead in Halifax despite Nova Scotia not entering Phase 5 of reopening yet.
The club could operate at full capacity because they have a vaccine mandate in place. Anyone who wants to catch a game at the stadium must show proof they’re fully vaccinated or provide a negative COVID-19 test.
Officials said the policy was put into place to ensure the grounds are a safe place to watch the team race across the field.
Full-time score
The boys in blue battled hard but unfortunately didn’t get the result we wanted #TogetherWeAreHome #HFXvCFM pic.twitter.com/XQAHc3vfrI
— HFX Wanderers FC (@HFXWanderersFC) September 22, 2021
The Wanderers host FC Edmonton on Saturday.
