Lincoln Red Imps take two goal deficit to Azerbaijan

Lincoln Red Imps 0 -2 Qarabag
Champions League Second Round first leg

Lincoln Red Imps faced a daunting task as they met the Azerbaijani champions once again. Last season, they were knocked out of the Champions League in the first round after a 6-2 aggregate defeat.

The first leg did not go well this time either. Lincoln now looks to possibly drop into the Europa League, where they will face the losers of the match between PFC Ludogorets 1945 (BUL) and FC Dinamo Minsk (BLR).

On a day when Gibraltar football was witnessing UEFA proceedings against two Spanish national team players over their chants against Gibraltar, Lincoln did not have to worry about crowd problems, as few fans from Azerbaijan attended the Europa Point for this first-leg match. The match saw a nervy start from both teams.

There were calls for a booking after a great run down the right saw Valarino brought down by the touchline after breaking past Qarabag's defense. Lincoln earned a corner from the free kick floated into the box, but the keeper, commanding his six-yard box, collected over the heads of attackers.

Although Qarabag had been expected to dominate the match, Lincoln Red Imps had a couple of good chances in the first twenty minutes and earned at least two corners in the same period, showing that the hosts were not in it to just make up the numbers. After their defeat last season in the first round against the same side, Lincoln Red Imps tightened their formation on the field and closed down the space well, not allowing Qarabag to exert the control they had expected.

The visitors were forced to slow down and build patiently forward as Lincoln stuck to their guns. The Lincoln defense played the offside trap well, catching the visitors on at least four occasions in the first half-hour. Qarabag did produce their chances, with one save from Santana in the 37th and 40th minutes and also seeing a shot go wide. However, Qarabag's chances were few and far between, and without the danger that had been expected.

Every minute that Lincoln Red Imps held back the visitors, their confidence grew. Santana produced a great block in the final minutes of the first half as Lincoln started to look tired under the intense heat. Santana was to come off his line and miss the ball entirely, but luckily the ball fell nicely for Lincoln to clear. De Barr, alone up front, did well to shield the ball and draw a foul, which slowed down the pace and gave Lincoln a much-needed breather. The free kick swung into the box was cleared by Qarabag's defense on the third attempt.

Two minutes of added time provided Qarabag with extra moments of pressure upon Lincoln. However, it was De Barr with a speculative but quality shot at goal that threatened to break the deadlock, a long-distance shot just going over the crossbar. Qarabag responded immediately. What seemed to be an easy ball into the box was well collected by Juninho with his chest, and not letting the ball touch the ground, he slotted it past Santana. The visitors went ahead with what was the last kick of the first half.

It was a slow start to the second half, with Lincoln Red Imps on the back foot from the start but keeping Qarabag at bay. As they reached the hour mark, Lincoln Red Imps were gaining in confidence and pressing on the visitors more often. A couple of chances went amiss, first with a header from a corner not having enough power, and then Muñoz sending a chance straight into the hands of the keeper.

Lincoln, cutting down Qarabag's path into their penalty area, had a number of breaks but were not doing much with them. The heat took its toll on the players.

In the 74th minute, just as Qarabag didn’t seem to be reaching goal, a great strike from outside the penalty area, composed and struck with some comfort far from the keeper's reach, made it 2-0. The failure to capitalize on their opportunities cost Lincoln heavily against what was a quality side expected to reach at least the group stages of the Europa Conference League if not better. Lincoln Red Imps now face an uphill task if they are to make a comeback in the second leg.

After last season’s 4-0 defeat in Azerbaijan, Lincoln’s prospects look bleak. With the Third Round of the Europa League drawn on Tuesday, Lincoln can start planning for their next possible opponents. Both Qarabag and Lincoln have been drawn against either PFC Ludogorets 1945 (BUL) or FC Dinamo Minsk (BLR), depending on the results of both Champions League matches. The winners of each match will play in the Champions League, while the losers will play in the Europa League. Knowing their next opponent will allow Lincoln to look ahead to their next match, probably in the Europa League. This already marks a success compared to last season, where after dropping out of the Champions League in the first round, they went straight into the Conference League. This season, their victory against Hamrun allows them to look forward to at least one round in the Europa League before they play in the Conference League.