St Joseph’s Draw 2-2 in Europa Conference League Qualifier at Home

St Joseph’s FC played out a dramatic 2-2 draw against Northern Ireland’s Cliftonville in the first leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League First Qualifying Round tie, held at the Europa Sports Stadium in Gibraltar.

The match began with both sides showing early intent, and it was Cliftonville who struck first in the 39th minute. Ryan Curran put the visitors ahead with a well-placed finish following an assist from Rory Hale. St Joseph’s responded with determination but went into the break trailing 1-0.

The second half brought immediate drama. In the 54th minute, Cliftonville’s Jack Keaney was sent off after conceding a penalty for a foul on St Joseph’s forward Pablo Rodriguez. Alvaro Rey stepped up and calmly converted from the spot to bring the home side level at 1-1.

Cliftonville, despite being reduced to ten men, regained the lead in the 78th minute when defender Jonathan Addis scored, capitalising on a defensive lapse from St Joseph’s. However, the hosts responded swiftly. Just five minutes later, in the 83rd minute, Rey once again found the net, this time from open play following an assist from Leon Volz to make it 2-2.

The final minutes were tense, with St Joseph’s pushing hard for a winner. Efforts from Barba, Armental, Amadou, Volz, and Javi Forján all narrowly missed the target in a flurry of late chances, while Rey remained a constant threat on set pieces. Cliftonville’s goalkeeper, Lewis Ridd, was kept busy throughout the second half and received a yellow card for time-wasting in the 66th minute.

Both teams made several substitutions to inject energy into the game, but despite St Joseph’s numerical advantage and attacking momentum in the closing stages, the match ended all square.

With the tie finely poised at 2-2, St Joseph’s will now face a difficult task in the return leg, which will be played away in Northern Ireland at Cliftonville’s home ground. The Gibraltarian side will need to convert their attacking pressure into goals if they are to progress to the next round.

The second leg promises to be an intense encounter as both sides seek to advance in European competition.