Lincoln Red Imps leapfrog St Joseph after Brunos force draw - Full GFL Review

The Gibraltar football league saw a turn of events providing defending league champions Lincoln Red Imps the opportunity to momentarily take the top spot after it had been held by St Joseph for the better part of the season. Although there are still enough matches to be played in the second round to see a change in positions before the league splits and only the top six remain, this weekend’s results provided a boost for Lincoln’s bid to challenge St Joseph for the title. Two points clear but having played one more match than the Saints, Lincoln Red Imps will be hoping that their opponents will drop further points as they near the final round of the competition. St Joseph, although having dropped two crucial points this weekend against third-placed Bruno Magpies, continues to have the upper hand on Lincoln Red Imps, having won both of their matches against them, crucially taking six key points in the battle for the league title, and importantly securing that even if defeated in the final third-round match between the two, they would still have the better points record with respect to the head-to-head.

The weekend match action started with Lincoln Red Imps setting the tone for the top of the league battle. Facing Mons Calpe, they were able to grab all three points, but without the confidence with which they had demolished sides in the previous weeks.

Lincoln Red Imps vs. Mons Calpe

From kickoff, Lincoln Red Imps applied intense pressure on Mons Calpe, giving them little breathing space. The very first ten minutes saw Mons Calpe stuck in their half and unable to string together any fluidity to push Lincoln back. Although dominating possession as a whole, Lincoln Red Imps found it difficult in the first half to create opportunities to threaten Tuleda’s goal, with Mons Calpe's defense tightening well at the back and closing down opportunities. Lincoln only had a handful of chances, mostly without much venom.

It took Lincoln 45 minutes to find the back of the net. Just moments after Mons Calpe had their first shot at goal, Tjay de Barr created a chance at the other end which saw a deflection off a Mons Calpe defender before beating Tuleda, with Nano having created the chance for De Barr. The goal calmed nerves in the red and blacks, slowing the game down as they played out the additional four minutes of injury time.

Lincoln had a chance to make it two in the 57th minute, with De Barr stealing as Mons Calpe tried to play out from defense. However, his well-timed chipped pass to Pena Garcia was poorly controlled, allowing the keeper to come out and collect before he could get the next touch. Garcia found himself with open space but wasted his chance.

Mons Calpe struggled to get a final ball into the last third, and had to chase back quickly as Lincoln went searching for a second. The extra yard of pace for Lincoln Red Imps made it a frustrating night for Mons Calpe, who in the first hour found themselves more often than not losing out on the chases for loose balls. Pena Garcia, who had not had the best of nights, was substituted in the 66th minute by Mihaylov.

A free kick saw Walker send a floated cross across the goalmouth in the 67th minute, forcing Tuleda to punch out but only as far as Lope behind the defense. He put the ball neatly for Villacana to stride to it and strike low through the feet of defenders into the far post for the second goal. With ten minutes left on the clock and controlling the pace of the game after a few moments in which Mons Calpe had tried to respond to the goal, Lincoln Red Imps substituted Walker for Bent. If Mons Calpe had hoped for Lincoln to ease off on the high pressure to give them some breathing space, they were to find last season's league champions just as consistent in the final minutes as they had been throughout the match.

Only a momentary lapse in the 85th minute gave Mons Calpe something to cheer. A great pass by Casado allowed Fernandez to grasp onto the ball to get it past Garcia to narrow the margins to one goal. The goal came out of the blue at a time when Mons Calpe did not seem to be heading anywhere fast. Lincoln, who had been waiting to make three changes, did not change their minds and made the changes immediately before they resumed play.

While the goal gave Mons Calpe some confidence, which had looked earlier dampened and chilled just like the climatic conditions they were playing under, Mons Calpe had to face added urgency from Lincoln Red Imps trying to secure their victory by searching for another goal. Mons Calpe was to waste a good chance after Lincoln Red Imps' defense was caught out attempting to force an offside, with the final shot going well wide over the bar. Lincoln’s defense expressed their dissatisfaction with the linesman for not signaling an offside. An unnecessary foul by Casciaro, his second in the few minutes he had been in play, gave Mons Calpe a final hope with a free kick. The ball floated into the penalty area was punched away by the goalkeeper, although Mons Calpe was to regain possession and continue to pile the pressure, looking for an equalizer. Mons Calpe were not to get another chance, with the additional seven minutes of injury time coming to an end as the Lincoln keeper punted the ball into the other half and it was eventually lost for a goal kick. Lincoln Red Imps walked away with the three points to go clear at the top, a position they were to keep after St Joseph’s result.

St Joseph 2-2 Bruno’s Magpies

Having seen themselves drop to second place overnight, St Joseph had everything to play for to try and regain top spot. However, Bruno Magpies had their own gameplan and were to succeed in part, although the final score was not to favor either of the two, giving Lincoln Red Imps an initial advantage with four matchdays left to play in the second round.

The first thirty minutes of the Bruno Magpies vs. St Joseph clash proved to be the intense center of the park battle that many had expected. St Joseph, having dropped overnight to second place after Lincoln Red Imps' victory, required a victory to retake the lead. Bruno Magpies could not afford to drop any more points and needed to ensure St Joseph dropped some so that they could bid for the title themselves. However, the reasons as to why St Joseph has the best defensive record in the league were clear to see as they closed down the Magpies well. A couple of chances between the two in the first half-hour highlighted how play had centered very much on the battle through the midfield areas, which would define the match.

It was in the 36th minute that a corner for St Joseph, taken short, broke the deadlock. The ball crossed to goal closer to the penalty area was deflected as it headed to goal, seeing the ball flicked over the keeper and dipping down into the far corner of the net, with St Joseph taking the early lead. The Magpies responded, forcing Banda to push an attempt to goal for a corner, which was, however, wasted through an infringement. The lack of opportunities for a goal throughout the first half, although having seen the one solitary goal, did not provide for spectators' excitement, with the narrow margins between the two making for a tense and static encounter.

Just three minutes into the second half, Chipolina gave away a penalty with the ball hitting his arm as he tried to clear. Rodriguez's penalty kick lacked power, with Christian Lopez going down well to save. St Joseph missed a great opportunity to double their lead early on. The Magpies put St Joseph under pressure immediately after, with a Chipolina long throw-in giving an opportunity to strike at the target, but the ball went just wide. The Magpies continued with their moment for a while, with a second long throw-in again forcing some goalmouth clearances. Clearing the danger, it was the blue and whites on the quick counter, with open forced to come out of his own area to clear the danger.

Just a minute later, St Joseph had another great opportunity. This time Rodriguez, instead of shooting, passed short to his closest colleague, who himself also passed short to another incoming St Joseph player. The next pass after this saw the Magpies already having closed down and blocking the way for the final shot. In the 67th minute, St Joseph did manage to double their lead. After the Magpies had a few chances to equalize themselves, a breakaway run saw St Joseph split the Magpies' defense, and Sosa found himself in space to find his spot for the second goal. The Magpies worked hard to find a way through St Joseph’s tight defense. It was not until the 78th minute that they finally got a shot on target, which beat Banda to cut the deficit. The match now entered its final ten minutes with Bruno’s looking for the equalizer.

With six minutes left, St Joseph paid the price for trying to waste time during a corner, with the referee showing a yellow card to their captain, which saw him sent off; this being his second. The corner kick was punched away by Lopez under the crossbar, with Bruno’s setting off to put pressure on St Joseph, who were now down to ten men. The final minutes saw the game open up, with Bruno’s putting St Joseph under pressure, but the latter attempting quick breaks which broke the Magpies' fluidity and threatened their opponent's goal.

The Magpies were able to push St Joseph into their half during the injury time. Piling the pressure, the Magpies found the net after three consecutive shots, the first two blocked by defenders, the third going through their feet to the far post. The 94th minute goal saw the Magpies force a draw, with St Joseph dropping two crucial points at a key time and dropping to second place. Although St Joseph have a chance to regain their top-of-the-league position this coming weekend when they face struggling Glacis United, still having the best defensive record in the league, St Joseph will be aiming to pick up the three points which will take them one point above Lincoln Red Imps, while the latter have a rest weekend, bringing both on par in the matches played. Bruno Magpies will also have a chance to cut the deficit with the second-placed team as they face Lynx and will also be looking to grab the three points, although this will be tough against Albert Parody’s side, who are proving to be a tough team to play against. Bruno will need to get maximum points to maintain their gap in third place, with the following week being their rest weekend.

Sunday was to see a somewhat quieter day on the field, with matches very much in par with the dull grey clouds overhanging the stadium.

College 1-1 Glacis

The College 1975 clash with Glacis United ended up being about who would end up with the most players on the field and be able to take the points. While Glacis United won the battle on players on the field with ten left against College 1975's, the match was a dreary, dull affair in which errors played the biggest part between the two. Glacis United and College 1975, as they reach a crucial part of the season, have just four matchdays to lift their game or see their season end early. Both, sharing the points, did not move from their current position at the wrong end of the table.

Defensive passivity nearly cost College a second on the half-hour as a floated cross was allowed to go to the far post where the ball was luckily struck without venom for the keeper to parry. There was no single dominant team on the field, both looking vulnerable and leaving loads of space between lines. The match was very much like a ping pong going from one side to the next in the entirety minutes, with Glacis not looking secure with their lead at all. Glacis had some moments of pressure upon College, but their finishing was not there, missing the chance to go ahead further. College had a shot over the bar in the 37th minute.

Glacis dismantled their chances by themselves and nearly paid the price. Early in the second half, a second yellow card saw them down to ten men with close to 40 minutes to play. In the 75th minute, just minutes after College had finally leveled the score, Glacis gave away a penalty, but College failed to convert the shot. College, not content with missing a penalty, dismantled their own game with two yellow cards, seeing a red, and as they waited for the free kick to be taken, they lost another player to a straight red, leaving them with just nine players for the two remaining minutes of the match and whatever injury time the referee wanted to add. The chaos of the match, which had not seen much in the way of quality, left much frustration. Glacis, who had looked to be on the back foot, now given a chance to change things. Glacis wasted their first immediate chance, sending the free kick comfortably into the hands of the keeper. On the 93rd minute, Glacis wasted another chance with a near-open goal and just the keeper to beat; the tamest of shots was sent straight to the keeper to send to a corner from inside the six-yard box. Glacis finishing as tame as you could get at such a crucial time and with such an opportunity. Feigning a foul inside the penalty box cost another yellow for a College player as the match arrived at its 97th minute.

Europa 0-1 Europa Point

The two Europas met on Sunday, with Europa Point's recent change in ownership seeing them start to challenge for top six positions, while Europa, with changes in their structure and policy which this week saw them say they will be looking at developing a team for the future from the local market, having seen themselves at the wrong end of the table after once being one of the top two in the league. However, with De Prieto's arrival, the fortunes have changed for Europa. A tight encounter saw little margin between the two on the field. The first hour of play was goalless, with neither team having any bragging rights to having had the dominance in possession. As they arrived into the last half-hour, it was anyone’s game, with tensions rising and urgency on both sides, as both teams recognized that whoever scored first would have the best opportunity to take all three points as the minutes ticked away quickly. Although few opportunities existed at either end, the game was played from end to end, with the finishing touches in the final third at either end faltering as both teams defended their goals and set about to attack each other when in possession. Another confident display on the field by Europa, distributing well and causing problems to Europa Point's defense, would have provided some positives for the green and blacks. Their progress now sees them knocking on the door for a top six finish of the second round, something which had been a distant hope earlier in the season as they failed to find the results. As they arrived in the final three minutes, Europa Point looked to have the better opportunities to score. With a minute left for the 90, Europa Point broke the deadlock with a substitute making the difference and immediately making changes to bring on a defender. The number ten who was about to be substituted was yellow carded after a confrontation while players were getting ready to resume from the center spot. Europa Point walked away with the three points in a match that could have gone either way. The fortunes of the two Europas contrasting each other dramatically as Europa now sits fourth from bottom, although five points from being able to get a place in the top six. Europa Point went eight points clear from Europa and now sit fourth in the table, eleven points behind third-placed Bruno Magpies. However, they are three points above sixth and seventh-placed sides, giving them the initial advantage as the league enters the final four matches of the second round. With Manchester 62 faltering in recent weeks, their biggest challengers are Mons Calpe and Lynx.

Lions 2-1 Manchester 62

Saturday also saw the biggest surprise of all the league matches this weekend, with bottom of the league Lions Gibraltar grabbing their second win of the season. A match in which Manchester 62 continued to falter saw Lions make a comeback after going down in the second half. A scoreless first half provided ample proof that Lions were combative and turning their season around, although far too late to make any real impact on their position at the wrong end of the table. Benitez's 69th-minute goal was canceled out by Rodriguez Macias' penalty two minutes later, which saw how Manchester 62 let themselves down once again. Down to ten men, Manchester 62 looked to have held on for a draw but were struck by a fourth-minute injury time goal from Cintas, which gave Lions a 2-1 victory and closed the gap with College 1975 to two points.