You might say Montreal City Football Club came into Sunday’s B1 Division showdown posing as statistical equals to undefeated Club Alpha.

But that all changed when Alpha buried their third unanswered goal of the game in the early minutes of the second half. “That was the wake-up call,” explains MCFC coach Hafez Panahy of the eventual 4-2 loss. “We scored (twice) to make it 3-2 and had many opportunities to tie the game but their keeper stayed rock solid. We couldn’t find the back of the net and they capitalized on their final chance. It was a great game.”

With Hafez promising cold-served revenge when both teams meet again in early 2017, the coach recognizes MCFC will also need to keep a weary eye on past champs FC Esteqlal and Sabbah 2, two division competitors who have struggled out of the gate. Still, the pre-season semifinalists aren’t about to let one game get them down.

“Our first two wins were team efforts. It all started from a great defense leading to easy attacks. But last game, we got pushed (around) and felt the aggressiveness of our opponents. We have to work on that in order to stay on top of the table.”

POTG: While Mesbah Panahy would score twice in this week’s losing cause, Hafez also singled out Aria Rouzbahani as being a great addition to the MFCF roster. “He has technique and one heck of a shot!”

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