Former Harambee Stars Captain Victor Wanyama was on the scoreboard as FC Montreal faced quarter-final elimination in the Canadian Championship.

With Montreal down 2-0 at halftime, an unexpected turn in weather (heavy rain with lightning) would force the game into a two-hour break.

Wanyama second half header

Montreal then piled pressure on the visitors upon resumption knowing they needed three goals if they were to proceed to the semifinals. Continued pressure on the Forge defence would pay off, with Wanyama nodding in from a corner kick to revive the home side’s hopes.

MLS side threw all they could at Forge in an attempt to rescue themselves, requiring two more goals to win the tie, but a watertight Forge defence held Montréal at bay with the Hammers prevailing 2-1 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate.

The loss marked the first time FC Montreal had been defeated by a Canadian Premier League side and even notably the third time ever a Canadian Premier League side knocked out a Major League Soccer side from the Canadian Championship.

The former Tottenham Hotspurs midfielder accepted a significant Ksh14,784,240 salary cut at the beginning of the season to extend his stay with Canadian club CF Montreal. Wanyama remains Montreal’s highest earner despite taking the cut.

Wanyama signed for the club in March 2020 in a deal that would make him the fifth most valuable player in the league as of then.