Lincoln Red Imps one point away from the title

Lincoln Red Imps 3-0 Bruno Magpies

The very first real attempt on target saw Lincoln Red Imps attack Bruno Magpies in the 2nd minute of play, with Daniel Bent running into the box and striking at goal, putting the ball past Bruno Magpies’ Christian Lopez. This was the second big clash of the top three teams in the championship round. With St. Joseph having regained the top spot of the table the previous evening, Lincoln had to secure all three points or face St. Joseph in the final match with equal points, or worse, with St. Joseph leading.
Bruno was penned back in the opening minutes of the half and immediately after Lincoln’s goal, with a well-placed Lincoln making it initially difficult for Bruno to advance beyond the halfway line. Bruno started to find their footing in the game as they entered the first ten minutes, settling into their own possession game and presenting a tougher opposition to Lincoln Red Imps.
In the 16th minute, a run by De Barr, who combined with Ayew, led to the ball being passed into the center and a low shot being blocked by Lopez with his feet, requiring two attempts to clear his goalmouth while on the ground. After a short period of increased energy from Bruno, which allowed both sides to cancel each other out, Lincoln regained control and generated a couple of chances to strike at goal.
A curled attempt from Lope saw Lopez dive well and save, collecting on the second attempt and preventing an oncoming Lincoln player from pouncing on the rebound. It was Bruno’s turn next to take the game to the other end, but Lincoln held their lines well, disrupting Bruno’s attempts and regaining possession.
Having already conceded early, Bruno tightened their defense and became more alert, making it harder for Lincoln Red Imps to find space and clear chances in the first twenty minutes. Bruno were lucky not to concede when Ronco was alert enough to send the ball to the corner after mistakes from his colleagues had left the door open for Lincoln to threaten their goal.
While Bruno managed to balance the match more after the early goal, the Magpies still lacked effectiveness up front in the first half-hour. Bruno’s first chance came with a half-hearted effort on the 31st minute following a mistake by Lincoln’s defense in clearing their penalty area. Lincoln had a chance on the 32nd minute with a free kick, but they were caught offside in a final attempt that saw Nano arriving with a clear chance to head the ball into the goal.
This was only the third real chance Lincoln had since scoring early. Aluez found his way into Lincoln’s penalty area, feigning a path into space before releasing an attempt at goal from a narrow angle, which screamed across the goal to go out for a goal kick.
The latter part of the first half saw the game opening up a bit more, with Lincoln getting a chance via a corner, although a tight defense once again cleared the danger. However, the defenses on both sides dictated the pace of the game, with solid defending from Bruno reducing Lincoln’s chances, while Lincoln’s high pressure acted as a first line of defense that canceled out all attempts from Bruno throughout the first half.
While the match was high-pressure with a lot at stake, there were few reasons for the referee to show any yellow cards as they approached the last five minutes. Ballantine gave away a free kick in the 42nd minute as he tried to stop a surge into the box. Nano’s attempt curled wide off the far top corner to result in a goal kick.
Just two minutes later, referee Perez awarded Lincoln a penalty as De Barr ran across the top of the penalty area with the ball. A challenge that looked as if the defender had cleanly taken the ball off his feet was sanctioned as De Barr fell, though none of the Lincoln players claimed for a penalty. Walker made no mistake with his spot-kick, adding Lincoln’s second goal before halftime.
Lincoln started the second half strongly, putting Bruno under pressure from the start. The Magpies closed down their lines and made it difficult for Lincoln Red Imps, but they gave away a free kick on the 50th minute, resulting in the first yellow card shown. Walker’s curled shot around the defensive wall saw Lopez push the ball to the crossbar and then collect it on the second attempt with ease.
Bruno made two changes on the 53rd minute, with Facundo creating an opportunity to threaten Lincoln’s penalty area with his first touch. However, Lincoln’s high-pressure tactics not only regained the ball but pushed Bruno straight back into their half.
Bruno struggled to find their way back up into Lincoln’s half and were stopped in the top half as they approached the first hour of play without really testing Lincoln’s keeper. Although Bruno had momentarily stopped Lincoln’s offense, they themselves were being effectively stalled.
With a two-goal cushion, Lincoln were in no rush and started to regain some ground by building slowly from the back, further stalling any attempts from Bruno to make a comeback. As both teams battled through the center of the pitch, there were very few chances from either side. Lincoln sat back as they entered the final twenty minutes, while Bruno continued to try and break through to reduce the gap and mount a comeback.
The first real shot since early in the second half came in the 72nd minute from Giraldes, whose shot went wide off the near post with a strike on the run. As the minutes ticked away, Bruno’s chances of getting at least a point out of the match slowly disappeared.
Bruno had another chance to test Lincoln’s defense with a free kick on the 78th minute, but again, a tight defense saw Lincoln clear their lines with ease. Notably, Bruno’s continued pressure and momentum forward saw Lincoln holding a very defensive posture, playing within their half for a prolonged period of time. No opportunities to test Lopez had been seen since his intervention in the 50th minute.
Lincoln didn’t get the ball into the other penalty area until the 85th minute, with a through ball from Liam Walker from close to the center circle slicing through Bruno’s defense and being collected by Britto, who had just come on minutes earlier. Striking first time, he beat Lopez to make it three goals for his side.
Lincoln made three further changes just two minutes before the 90 minutes, already having secured their three points. The match saw Julian Valarino play, the young player having missed most of the season through injury. This marked his return to the senior side, welcome news for the national team.