Lincoln Red Imps find it tough in Sweden

Mjällby 3-0 Lincoln Red Imps

Lincoln Red Imps’ first-leg clash with Swedish champions Mjällby proved a tough encounter. Playing in Sweden, the Imps were greeted by a full stadium celebrating what was the Swedish side’s debut in the UEFA Champions League.
Although Lincoln had some early chances, it was Mjällby who struck first in the 18th minute.
Samuelsson doubled the lead just six minutes later, grabbing his brace as Mjällby steepened the hill Lincoln had to climb.
The second half saw Mjällby strike again in the 62nd minute through Bergström.
The constant chanting and support from the Swedish crowd drove their home side forward.
Things seemed to go from bad to worse as the Swedish side showed no intention of sitting back despite holding a three-goal lead.
Nano naively fell into the trap of allowing himself to be forced into a penalty situation. Hankins initially looked set to face Stroud, the club’s sole selection in Sweden’s World Cup squad this summer.
Instead, Hankins produced an impressive save, pushing the penalty onto the post. The home side then struck the crossbar twice before winning a corner.
Mjällby continued their momentum, pressing for a fourth and repeatedly coming close.
The tribal-sounding chants from the stands were a constant in the background.
It was not until the 72nd minute that Lincoln managed to break deep into their opponents’ half, only to be pushed back again and face further goalmouth pressure.
In the 74th minute, Lincoln once again surged forward. However, lacking any real power, an effort from Álvarez ended comfortably in the goalkeeper’s hands.
A brave 92nd-minute lunge by Hankins at the feet of an attacker saved Lincoln from further blushes after the defence had been sliced open in the closing stages.
Although they had some opportunities to pose a threat, Lincoln lacked the cutting edge that had seen them reach the league phase of Conference League competition last season. Mjällby almost added a fourth in the closing moments with another clean break as Lincoln’s defence began to show tired legs after chasing back repeatedly. Once again, Hankins came off his line to put the attacker off his target.
Lincoln will now host Mjällby next Tuesday, needing to score four unanswered goals if they are to progress to the next round of the UEFA Champions League. Their hopes are now fading, with a switch into the Europa League qualifying path the most likely destination should they fail to overturn the three-goal deficit inflicted by the Swedish champions on their Champions League debut.