York United delivered a dominant performance on Saturday afternoon, dispatching Vancouver FC 4-0 at York Lions Stadium behind a clinical second-half display. A third-minute strike from Adonijah Reid set the tone early, while substitutes Gabriel Bitar and Kembo Kibato sealed the result with three goals in the final ten minutes.
The win extends York’s unbeaten run against Vancouver to ten matches and solidifies their place in the Canadian Premier League’s top five, now nine points clear of the playoff line.
Reid opened the scoring with his third goal in as many league games, capitalizing on a quick buildup from Max Ferrari and Massimo Ferrin down the left. The early goal put York in front, but the first half remained open and disjointed. Vancouver showed signs of life midway through the half, particularly after Allan Enyou intercepted a pass and nearly equalized with a long-range effort. York, meanwhile, looked most dangerous in transition but failed to capitalize on several chances to extend their lead. Julian Altobelli came closest, missing the target twice from promising positions before halftime.
Both sides struggled with precision in the final third through much of the match. While York held a narrow 1-0 lead at the break, Vancouver had yet to register a shot on target and showed little urgency in the attacking half.
The second half followed a similar script until York’s substitutions shifted the momentum decisively. Shaan Hundal made his debut in the 64th minute and nearly scored with his first touch. Moments later, he played a key role in York’s second goal, combining with Ferrin to send Bitar into the box in the 84th minute. The midfielder finished with a composed curling strike past Callum Irving to make it 2-0.
Three minutes later, Bitar turned provider, cutting in from the left and chipping a ball toward Shola Jimoh. Although the initial chance was saved, Kibato, another former Vancouver player, pounced on the rebound to extend the lead to 3-0.
In stoppage time, Bitar added a fourth after breaking in behind on a well-weighted pass from captain Elijah Adekugbe. He rounded the keeper and calmly slotted home his second of the match, capping off an emphatic team performance.
For Vancouver, the loss continues their struggle in league play and they have now gone four straight matches without scoring against York. Despite reaching the Canadian Championship semifinal earlier in the week, the Eagles lacked creativity and registered just five total shots, none of which were on target. The absence of a clear attacking identity was again evident, and all three second-half goals came from former Vancouver players, highlighting the contrast in squad cohesion and development.
With the win, York United remain firmly in playoff position with 13 matches remaining. They’ll face fourth-place Cavalry FC next weekend in a pivotal clash at ATCO Field. Vancouver FC, now 13 points back of fifth, return home to host Valour FC on July 25 in what is quickly becoming a must-win match.
Photo Gallery Courtesy of Sojung Kim/ISNSoccer.com
Match Details
Competition: Canadian Premier League
Date: July 19, 2025
Venue: York Lions Stadium, North York, ON
Kickoff Time: 4:00 PM ET
Goals
3′ – Adonijah Reid (York United)
84′ – Gabriel Bitar (York United)
87′ – Kembo Kibato (York United)
90+2′ – Gabriel Bitar (York United)
Discipline
49′ – Aidan O’Connor (Vancouver FC) – Yellow Card
Lineups
York United: Diego Urtiaga; Luke Singh, Frank Sturing, Nyal Higgins; Riley Ferrazzo, Luca Accettola (Elijah Adekugbe – 64′), Kembo Kibato, Max Ferrari (Cameron Da Silva – 87′); Adonijah Reid (Gabriel Bitar – 72′), Massimo Ferrin (Shola Jimoh – 87′), Julian Altobelli (Shaan Hundal – 64′)
Vancouver FC: Callum Irving; Kunle Dada-Luke, Matteo Campagna, Aidan O’Connor, Allan Enyou; Elage Bah, Mehdi Essoussi, David Norman Jr. (Thomas Powell – 45′), Paris Gee (Kevin Podgorni – 86′); Henri Godbout (Taryck Tahid – 70′), Ndiaye Ndiaye (Juan Batista – 56′)
