Lincoln Red Imps remain without a point after defeat against Twente

Lincoln Red Imps 1-4 Twente

Lincoln Red Imps faced FC Twente on Thursday evening, suffering their second defeat in the league phase of the Conference League this season.

The Dutch side arrived on the Rock looking for a victory that would move them closer to qualification for the knockout stages. With six points now to their name, a further two points could secure their passage into the next phase of the competition.

For Lincoln Red Imps, hosting the Dutch giants saw them sell out their ticket allocation for the match, although the sell-out did not translate into a full stadium, as some might have expected. The high-risk classification given to the match, based on the disciplinary record of the visiting supporters, alongside the stadium’s limitations, once again restricted the number of tickets allocated to away fans.

FC Twente were allocated 600 tickets, leaving large sections of the south stands empty because of the segregation required between supporters. It was another reminder of one of the key reasons football continues to call for greater capacity at Gibraltar’s stadium facilities.

On the pitch, Twente dominated much of the contest against a determined and gritty Lincoln performance, but the Imps were unable to make the impact required to cause an upset.

Lincoln Red Imps eventually suffered a 4-1 defeat, conceding twice in the first half before the Dutch side added two further goals after the break.

Twente took the lead in the 19th minute through Thomas van den Belt, who scored following an assist from Wout Weghorst. Weghorst doubled the visitors’ advantage in the 24th minute, with the goal initially subject to a VAR review before being confirmed.

Lincoln responded in the 38th minute when Nano scored to reduce the deficit to 2-1. Twente’s Younes Taha was booked shortly before half-time, with Lincoln going into the break trailing by one goal.

Twente restored their two-goal advantage in the 57th minute as van den Belt scored his second of the evening, assisted by Bart van Rooij. VAR again checked the goal before confirming it.

Lincoln made a double substitution in the 63rd minute, with Toni replacing Álvaro Romero and Manu Toledano coming on for Kike Gómez. Álex Mula was replaced by Facundo Álvarez in the 77th minute, while Nico Pinto replaced Yussef Flalhi Idrissi in the 83rd.

Twente continued to threaten, but goalkeeper Jaylan Hankins and Lincoln’s defenders made several saves and blocks to limit the damage. In stoppage time, Daouda Weidmann scored Twente’s fourth, assisted by Daan Rots, to seal a 4-1 victory.

Lincoln’s next Conference League fixture sees them host Croatian side Hajduk Split, who beat Thun 1-0, the same scoreline Twente recorded against the Swiss side the previous week.

That home fixture is also expected to be classified as high risk, with Hajduk having previously faced disciplinary action over the behaviour of their supporters.