MONTREAL — CF Montreal booked their ticket to the quarterfinals of the Canadian Championship with a 5-0 rout of Alberta Premier League side Calgary Blizzard SC at Stade Saputo on Wednesday evening.
Ivan Losenko, Daniel Rios, Wiki Carmona, Ivan Jaime and Frankie Amaya all scored for Montreal in their third consecutive home win.
“The second half was satisfactory, but the first really wasn’t; we were missing way too many of the concepts we’re currently working on. We controlled the game, but that was to be expected (…) these are trap games, and we did well not to fall into one,” said head coach Philippe Eullaffroy.
“This is a trophy that the club loves very much; we’ve won it five times. There is a strong history between this club and the competition, and it’s one the fans care about deeply.”
Montreal came out of the gate dominating the ball and throwing their weight around by constantly probing a very compact Calgary defensive block. There were several close calls as Montreal looked for a quick opening goal, including a powerful long-range shot from Carmona from outside the penalty area that crashed against the bar.
In the 18th minute, Losenko found a loose ball in the middle of the penalty area and profited from a deflection off Calgary defender Joey Plenzik to score his first-ever goal with Montreal.
“I thought we weathered the storm in the first half; for us, it was about managing the nerves, and I think the boys did a great job,” said Calgary head coach Ramon Mifflin.
“We’ve been preparing for two or three months for this game. I’m super proud of the team. What an experience to play against one of the strongest clubs in Canada.”
Montreal continued pressing to extend their lead and almost found it moments later when Carmona was played through on goal before being denied by the woodwork once again. They kept working until the stroke of halftime, when Calgary’s resistance broke again and Montreal doubled their lead.
Carmona was played through on the left side and slid a perfect ball into the path of Rios, who joined Losenko in opening his account for Montreal.
“It’s very compact for me in the middle, and there weren’t many passing lanes for me; it’s all about the understanding between the two midfielders and myself,” said Rios. “For the players who have been playing a few minutes, it was good that we got a lot today.”
It took only 11 minutes for Montreal to reassert their dominance after the break as Carmona finally found the back of the net. The Venezuelan international created space on the right side of the penalty area and calmly slotted the ball into the opposing side’s corner.
Minutes later, it was substitutes Jaime and Amaya’s turns to get in on the action. Jaime sent a perfectly placed free kick into the top corner in the 66th minute and Amaya capped off a passing play that left him all alone in front of goal to make it 5-0 in the 70th minute.
Montreal will next face the winner of Vancouver FC and Langley United in the quarterfinals.
“We have to take it seriously. We know the reward is big, we want to win this championship and play in the Champions League; it’s the biggest competition in North America,” said Rios, who participated in the CONCACAF Champions League final with the Vancouver Whitecaps last season.
“I know how big it is and how important it is. It helps teams get to higher points in the standings of the whole region and play against the best teams.”
UP NEXT
Montreal: Hosts Orlando City SC on Saturday.
Calgary: Open their domestic season against the St. Albert Impact Men on Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2026.
Elias Grigoriadis, The Canadian Press
