Europa might have driven nail into Bruno’s chances of top six

The chances of finishing in the top six of the league and progressing to the third round of the competition are slowly fading for Bruno Magpies after another defeat this weekend.
Facing top-six rivals Europa, Bruno Magpies suffered their tenth defeat of the season, having recorded just five wins from fifteen matches. Currently sitting eighth in the table with 15 points, eight behind sixth-placed Lynx, Bruno Magpies’ campaign is increasingly heading towards one of their poorest league finishes in recent years.
It was, however, a positive day for local football, with both sides fielding a large number of home-grown players. A total of fourteen home-grown talents featured in the starting elevens, although it proved to be a miserable weekend overall for football.
Heavy rain and gale-force winds made matches at Europa Point far from entertaining, with players battling the harsh conditions as much as their opponents.
Bruno Magpies finished the match with ten men after captain Ronco was sent off for a second yellow card. Second-half goals from Gomez Mendes and Jones for Europa overturned Bruno’s advantage, cancelling out the Magpies’ earlier lead. Hernandez had given Bruno Magpies the lead with a goal in the closing minutes of the first half.
Europa, although somewhat sluggish this season, now sit fourth in the table, level on points with Mons Calpe and with a game in hand. Ten wins and four defeats keep them within touching distance of the top two and in contention for a return to European football.
The weekend also saw Lynx maintain their place in the top six. Forced to come from behind after Europa Point took the lead, Lynx equalised just eight minutes later to go into the half-time break level. Two second-half goals secured all three points for Lynx, extending the gap over Europa Point.
The seven-point gap as the second round of matches gets underway now makes it increasingly difficult for Europa Point to break into the top six unless they can put together a strong run of victories while hoping Lynx drop points along the way. This crucial result gives Lynx the upper hand in the battle for the top six.
Elsewhere, it was a tight and somewhat dreary encounter between College 1975 and Hound Dogs. College 1975 claimed all three points, with both goals coming in the opening fifteen minutes. McGrail opened the scoring in the eighth minute, followed by an own goal in the 14th minute which effectively sealed Hound Dogs’ fate early on.
Attention now turns to next weekend’s clash between St Joseph and Bruno Magpies. For the Magpies, nothing less than three points will suffice, while St Joseph will be looking to maintain their winning run and strengthen their lead at the top of the table, making this an intriguing encounter to watch.