A solitary goal sees Lincoln Red Imps retake title lead as they beat title rivals St Joseph’s

Lincoln Red Imps 1-0 St Joseph

An intense start to the clash between St Joseph and Lincoln Red Imps saw the latter pressing early against the Blues’ defense. St Joseph, trying to protect their advantage, found themselves with all eleven players in their own half for much of the first twelve minutes.

Their defensive posture backfired in the 13th minute, as Lincoln Red Imps broke the deadlock through a clever through ball from De Barr to Kike, who calmly slotted it home, increasing the intensity of the encounter.

In a match that could determine the league title, and with St Joseph entering with a three-point lead, the game had suddenly been turned on its head. Lincoln Red Imps, now temporarily top on head-to-head advantage, forced the Blues to open up and attack. A defeat would leave St Joseph at a disadvantage in the title race with only four games remaining.

St Joseph reacted immediately but were soon backtracking as Lincoln maintained momentum and pushed for a second goal. Two penalty appeals within minutes around the 20-minute mark added to the tension, both on the pitch and in the stands. A decent crowd had gathered, eager to see the Blues chase their first league title since Gibraltar’s UEFA membership.

Fouls started flowing more freely, and a blatant foul by Walker on De Barr stopped a promising move and earned a yellow card.

With the atmosphere of a cup final and no clear dominance from either side, the game had a rare buzz of excitement. Britto produced a moment of magic, chipping the ball over his markers twice before volleying goalward, only to be denied by a brilliant save from Banda, his national teammate.

With Alarcon still at the helm after Campana’s departure, Lincoln kept St Joseph under pressure. The Blues had yet to register a shot on target by the half-hour mark.

Referee Seth Galia was forced to speak to both captains to calm tensions on the pitch. In the 32nd minute, St Joseph wasted a corner, which quickly turned into a Lincoln counter. De Barr launched a surging run, only to be stopped again by a blatant foul at the halfway line.

Two minutes later, it was St Joseph appealing for a penalty as the ball struck Maroto’s arm. Though his arms were at his sides, he did block a potential shot on goal. Despite end-to-end play, there were few real chances until Britto’s long-distance shot in the 38th minute tested Banda.

St Joseph head coach Adam Paz was livid at the space allowed for the attempt. Moments later, De Barr was brought down again, continuing to draw harsh challenges while refusing to be kept out of the action.

As the first half neared its end, St Joseph earned a dangerous free kick in the 45th minute, which led to a corner. The ensuing effort was sliced just wide of Cupic’s left post.

In the 47th minute, Britto was sent flying off the pitch after a tough challenge, but as the crowd called for a foul, Kike picked up the ball and drove toward goal. However, Galia controversially blew for a foul against Lincoln to the jeers of the crowd.

After three minutes of injury time, the half ended with Lincoln Red Imps holding a narrow 1–0 lead.

Second Half:

St Joseph came out looking to push forward, still just one goal down and with a chance to regain their three-point cushion. But the pressure was on Lincoln to secure the win and move level on points, gaining the head-to-head advantage in the process.

A facial injury paused the game briefly just four minutes into the second half, at a time when several rough tackles had gone without much intervention.

Once resumed, St Joseph won the first corner of the half but couldn’t capitalize. Playing with more urgency, the Blues began testing Lincoln’s defense with individual surges. An early shot sailed over the bar.

At the other end, De Barr forced a corner and tested Banda again, though Munoz’s shot afterwards threatened the seagulls more than the goal.

In the 58th minute, Cupic found himself in no man’s land, as a header just grazed the wrong side of the post. Lincoln were briefly pinned back as St Joseph pressed for an equaliser.

With Bent, Valarino, and Casciaro on the bench, Lincoln had options to change the game. Alarcon, however, delayed making substitutions.

In the 64th minute, Rey delivered a curled free-kick that was only flicked on, allowing Cupic to gather confidently. Moments later, Villacanas sent a curler toward the far post, but Banda was equal to it, diving to push it away.

Lincoln maintained their momentum and earned a corner, though Montero’s speculative effort went wide.

St Joseph made their only homegrown substitution around the 69th minute, replacing Yome. Lincoln responded with Valarino coming on for Villacanas with 15 minutes to go. Valarino, who had previously played for St Joseph, made an immediate impact.

Lincoln, without a league win over St Joseph since the 2019/20 season, were under pressure entering the final quarter of an hour, with the Blues continuing to push for an equaliser. But Lincoln held firm, managing to push the Blues back and frustrate them.

As the game entered the final five minutes, St Joseph were reduced to short passing as they struggled to find a way through. Children’s cheers rang from the stands as Lincoln dug deep defensively.

Head-to-head history favored St Joseph in recent years, with three wins and three draws in the league. Lincoln’s last win dated back to December 13, 2019 – a 2–1 victory in a season that ended without a champion due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dan Bent came on for Ethan Britto with three minutes of regular time left, a defensive move aimed at preserving Lincoln’s slim lead.

Montero sent a wild shot over the bar as Lincoln pushed forward. With six minutes of injury time added, play went end to end, but Lincoln’s disciplined shape at the back prevented any quick counters.

St Joseph pushed numbers forward, risking exposure at the back. Bent broke forward and put Kike through, but the final shot went wide.

The Blues responded with a last push, earning a corner deep into injury time. A second corner followed as they kept up the pressure. But Ayew cleared, and the final whistle blew – sending Lincoln’s fans and technical staff into celebration.

Lincoln Red Imps’ victory sees them draw level with St Joseph on points with four matches remaining. They now hold the head-to-head advantage after two previous draws, placing them top under current rules and making them favorites to take the title if they can match St Joseph point for point from here on.