Lynx protect their place in top six with win against Man 62

The deadline set by the Gibraltar FA for Manchester 62 had come and gone, with no further announcement from either party on whether the financial problems faced by the club had been resolved satisfactorily.

The club, which had been fielding youth team players throughout most of the first round of matches and into the second round following the departure of several senior players — and others refusing to play due to alleged unpaid wages — saw a change this weekend as they faced Lynx.

Among those named in the starting line-up was Joseph Chipolina, who had not featured since the club’s troubles became public.

A mix of youth players and a handful of senior figures — most of whom were far from full fitness — found themselves pinned back for the better part of half an hour. Only an excellent save from 18-year-old goalkeeper Recagno prevented Lynx from opening the scoring.

He was unable to do much moments later, however, when Lynx found space to unleash a thumping drive across goal and into the far corner, the Manchester defence found wanting in their attempts to close down the gaps.

Only one advance into Lynx’s half was registered by Manchester 62 during the opening half hour.

Recagno was again called into action, making a free-kick effort look like a comfortable catch as Lynx threatened to double their lead. Slow to chase back and even mistiming attempts at the offside trap, Manchester 62 avoided conceding a second only due to Lynx’s lack of effectiveness with the final ball.

In the 36th minute, a badly timed challenge from behind conceded the simplest of penalties, with Manchester 62 going 2-0 down from the spot.

A failed acrobatic attempt just two minutes later wasted a chance for Lynx to add a third as the ball flashed across the goalmouth.

It took Manchester 62 forty minutes to enjoy any meaningful possession inside Lynx’s half, though a brief passing sequence ended comfortably in the goalkeeper’s hands.

Lynx then gifted possession and allowed Manchester back into the game momentarily, putting some pressure on the goalmouth. Lynx’s off-the-ball movement briefly slowed as the interval approached, and Manchester began to find their feet, despite conceding a third in the final minute of the half.

The presence of players such as Chipolina brought a degree of composure, with Manchester passing the ball more confidently. However, a loss of possession led to a swift transition from defence to attack, allowing Emrani a free strike at goal to double his tally.

The first half ended with Lynx holding a comfortable 3-0 lead.

The second half began as one-way traffic, with only poor finishing and excellent goalkeeping from Recagno preventing further goals in the opening fifteen minutes. Manchester 62 struggled even to register more than a single touch inside Lynx’s half during this period.

Lynx eased off the pace after the hour mark, affording Manchester 62 more space to become involved and spend time in their opponents’ half.

In the 70th minute, one of the few errors from Recagno saw Lynx regain possession outside the penalty area following his clearance. With the goal unguarded and defenders slow to react, the effort appeared certain to result in a goal, but the young goalkeeper recovered brilliantly, stretching to tip the ball onto the crossbar.

As the final fifteen minutes approached, Lynx increased the tempo in search of a fourth goal. By the 80th minute it was backs to the wall, with Manchester 62 defending deep with all eleven players in their own half.

The Manchester 62 coach also opted to replace two of his most experienced players at this stage.

The fourth goal arrived in the 86th minute following sustained pressure. Lynx’s ninth corner was delivered to the near post, where De Sousa flicked the ball with the outside of his foot in mid-air to divert it past the goalkeeper.

Lynx went in search of a fifth goal and were rewarded in injury time when Bilal won a penalty for his new club, which was duly converted.

A commanding 5-0 victory for Lynx secured all three points and ensured they remained in the top six for another week.