Lincoln Red Imps give Noah unexpected headache

Lincoln Red Imps entered the third qualifying round of the Europa League as underdogs against Armenian champions FC Noah — a club that has seen heavy investment in recent years and already boasts experience in the group stages of European competition.

With the first leg played at Gibraltar’s Europa Sports Complex under the searing heat of a 6pm kickoff, Lincoln faced a daunting challenge. Few believed they could secure a result, despite home advantage.
The match began with early pressure from Noah. A naïve foul by Lincoln’s number three in the opening minutes gifted the visitors a free kick, which tested goalkeeper Santana. A rebound led to a goalmouth tap-in, but the offside flag was raised. A two-minute VAR check confirmed the call and spared Lincoln an early setback.
Tjay De Barr was quickly targeted, fouled during Lincoln’s first attempt to break forward. By the seventh minute, Lincoln created a half-chance, but it was Noah who struck first. In the eighth minute, Cameroon international Armel Kaba broke past Torrilla and unleashed a powerful curling shot into the net.
Santana was called into action repeatedly, punching clear a dangerous cross and saving a close-range strike from Gail in the 12th minute. Lincoln’s defence, including new signing Rajuk, looked unsettled, with several misplaced clearances inviting more pressure from the visitors.
Despite attempts to press forward, Lincoln struggled to threaten in the opening 15 minutes. De Barr, closely marked, found little space to operate.
The 6pm kickoff, offering no advantage to Lincoln, seemed to favour the Armenians, accustomed to such conditions. In a curious subplot, former Spanish international Cesc Fàbregas — recently linked to Noah’s ownership — had attended a match at nearby La Balona the day before.
In the 21st minute, De Barr was again fouled as he attempted to break through, but Noah continued to escape punishment. As pressure mounted, Lincoln relied on Nano and Kike to hold the midfield, with Mandi and Ayew — both included in manager Benares’ starting changes — more involved in the action.
Ayew’s run down the right won a corner, and Nano’s long-range effort followed soon after, but it flew wide. By the 25th minute, Lincoln had settled and began to enjoy more possession. Fans fanned themselves from the stands, trying to keep cool, as Lincoln edged forward, searching for a way to challenge Noah’s defence.
A cooling break came in the 28th minute. De Barr, once again on the ball, was targeted — still without caution for Noah. The visitors dropped deep, allowing Lincoln more time on the ball. Fouls came in quick succession, handing Lincoln opportunities to advance, but set pieces and Nano’s long throw-ins lacked bite.
Noah controlled the ball more in the final ten minutes of the half, though without effect. Lincoln suffered a blow in the 45th minute when Britto, having been active down the left alongside Nano, went down clutching his knee after challenging for a cross. He was stretchered off, a worrying sight for the home side.
Six minutes of injury time were added, and new signing Dabo — a Brazilian winger — made his debut. He quickly got involved, picking up the ball twice to test Noah’s defence. Then came a breakthrough: Toni collected the ball in the box and was pulled down. Despite initial hesitation, VAR showed his shirt being tugged, and a penalty was awarded. Noah’s Eteki was booked.
De Barr’s penalty was saved, but he calmly slotted the rebound home to level the score — his fourth European goal of the summer, across just three rounds.
Lincoln started the second half with renewed energy, pressing Noah back into their own half. A weak header by the visitors allowed for a swift Lincoln counterattack, halted only by a foul near the halfway line.
De Barr continued to cause problems, surging forward and evading challenges before being dispossessed. Noah, struggling to clear their lines, conceded more fouls. One free kick swung into the box was cleared, but Lincoln kept the pressure on.
Villacanas, who had been relatively quiet, gave away a needless foul, but Lincoln remained composed. By the 52nd minute, Noah had barely entered Lincoln’s half, and the home side began to look more confident on the ball — though still lacking that final killer pass.
When Noah finally earned a corner, the resulting play ended harmlessly wide. Lincoln responded with another attack, and this time Villacanas was fouled. Toni’s delivery was again dealt with easily by Noah’s defence, sparking a quick counter that saw De Barr and Ayew track back to clear the danger.
Noah’s coach reacted by making two substitutions. At the hour mark, De Barr was fouled again near halfway, but a poor clearance from Santana nearly let Noah back in. Luckily, their resulting cross was just as wayward. Moments later, De Barr sprinted down the right and was brought down once more — Noah receiving yet another yellow.
Lincoln continued to fall short with their dead-ball deliveries, failing to threaten from promising positions. They were fortunate when Noah had a goal disallowed for offside after a rapid counterattack, confirmed by a lengthy VAR check.
Santana was forced into a difficult save from distance, and as tensions rose, Noah’s coach received a yellow card. Lincoln then tested the visiting keeper with a long-range shot of their own. The game opened up approaching the 65th minute.
A foul on Mandi gave Lincoln another free kick, but the chance was again wasted. In the 67th, miscommunication between Ayew and the defence allowed Noah a dangerous opportunity, though Lope managed to block the resulting shot for a corner.
Villacanas was substituted for Kike in the 70th minute, shortly after Mandi misplayed a pass with numbers in Lincoln’s favour. Noah responded with more pressure, a corner leading to a long-range effort wide of the target.
Lincoln had weathered the storm of Noah’s early dominance and were now growing in belief. Even Lincoln’s own officials had described them as underdogs, but with the score level, the team was showing real promise.
Following a water break in the 74th minute, a long throw-in caused brief panic in Noah’s box. Dabo then broke down the left and forced the keeper into a difficult save at the near post. Moments later, another chance flashed just wide from close range.
In the 78th minute, Dabo was fouled again, earning Noah yet another yellow. A free kick from near the corner flag provided another opportunity, but it was again cleared with ease.
With ten minutes left, Lincoln sensed the possibility of an upset. Noah, growing frustrated, picked up more yellow cards — seven in total from 27 fouls — as the game slipped away from them. The Armenian side looked disjointed and far from the threat they were expected to be.
In the 89th minute, Lope was penalised for a block, giving away a dangerous free kick. Eight minutes of added time were shown. The free kick was struck with power, and although Santana got his fingers to it, the ball hit the net. Noah celebrated — but VAR intervened.
Replays showed a Noah attacker obstructing the Lincoln defensive wall — a foul that led the referee to disallow the goal. From celebration to frustration, Noah were now the ones clinging to a draw.
Lope took an elbow to the head as tensions boiled over. Lincoln, pushing forward to find a late winner, continued to test Noah. But after 103 minutes of intense football, the final whistle blew.
Against all odds, Lincoln Red Imps had secured a 1–1 draw — a result few had predicted, but one that keeps their European hopes alive heading into the second leg.

(As published on Saturday 9th August 2025)