Vancouver attack hits scoring stride against Real Espana

VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps poured in four second half goals in a commanding 5-0 victory against Real Espana of Honduras in the first leg of the 2023 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League Round of 16 on Wednesday night at BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The Whitecaps would strike first in the 21’ by playing a corner kick short before looping in a cross that connected with the rising Tristan Blackmon, who steered a header into the right corner of net for a 1-0 lead.

Vancouver were hungry for more and had chances through Ryan Gauld in the 25’ and Pedro Vite in the 30’ to double the lead, only for their efforts to skip wide.

Real Espana GK Luis Lopez then produced his best save of the night shortly before halftime by denying Cristian Dajome when it looked like a second Vancouver goal was evident.

The Whitecaps kept coming in the second half and when Dajome swung a pass over to Gauld, it looked like the second goal would come, but Lopez stood tall and made the save.

The sought-after second goal finally arrived in the 59’ thanks to the movement and power of Ryan Raposo, whose near-post effort beat Lopez for a 2-0 Vancouver advantage.

It was all Vancouver and soon enough the lead became 3-0 in the 64’ when a deep Dajome cross deflected off the sliding foot of Real Espana’s Devron Garcia and into net.

Vite then got in on the action in the 70’, taking a pass from Gauld and firing past Lopez to make it 4-0.

The waves of attack from the Whitecaps just kept coming and next Brian White found the back of the net in the 79’ with a run down the left wing and cutback before sending a right-footed shot into net to cap the 5-0 scoreline.