Lions get first win against ten-man College 1975

With his back to goal inside the six-yard box, Revagliatte turned on the spot and slotted the ball between the goalkeeper’s legs to give Lions the lead after just eight minutes.

College 1975 had struggled to find their footing, and just as they appeared to be settling into a positive rhythm, a breakdown down the flank allowed Lions to create the opening for Italian forward Revagliatte.

Lions once again started with only three home-grown players. Of the eight players on the bench, four were home-grown, including two in their mid to late thirties — a selection policy their supporters had criticised in recent weeks.

Despite dominating the early stages, Lions were not clearly the superior side. College showed enough confidence to take the game to their opponents whenever they had possession.

In the 19th minute, Lions sliced open the College defence, but the resulting effort was sent high over the goal.

The match was not particularly attractive, with mistakes rather than fluent play dictating possession during the opening 25 minutes. College were also forced into two early changes because of injuries, with Laguea among those substituted in the 25th minute.

As the half progressed, College began to see more of the ball, although they struggled to advance beyond the middle third. Lions were also forced into a change, with Busto making way for Parody.

For two sides hoping to challenge for one of the four places leading to European club football, the quality on display left much to be desired. Other than the opening goal, the first half produced little goalmouth action.

Lions came closest to adding a second in the 40th minute. Revagliatte stretched to divert a low cross into the six-yard box but could only send the ball over the crossbar, much to Soler’s relief.

Three minutes later, College won a free kick, but the effort was sent wide of the target and remained the Green and Whites’ only attempt on goal.

Then, in injury time, Karim was sent off, leaving College with ten men. Lions immediately took advantage of the numerical superiority.

A floated ball towards the edge of the six-yard box was met by a glancing header from Hamza, who directed it towards the far post to extend Lions’ lead.

The dismissal highlighted College’s wider problems. Despite summer recruitment that had promised to lift the side from the lower half of the table, the Green and Whites had shown little improvement in their style of play. At the same time, Karim’s sending-off opened the door for a Lions side that had also struggled to create clear chances beyond the early goal.

Lions did not immediately make the most of their advantage after the restart. Instead, College began imposing themselves on the match more than expected, despite being down to ten men.

It was only ten minutes into the second half that Lions changed their approach, slowing the tempo and focusing on retaining possession rather than forcing their way into the College penalty area without a clear plan. That adjustment restored their control, and they began pushing College back into their own half.

The Green and Whites were now relying mainly on quick counter-attacks while trying to remain organised defensively. They were fortunate to escape with a foul after struggling to clear their goalmouth following a header from Revagliatte, which Soler blocked well.

As the hour mark approached, Lions allowed College too much space and time to build pressure. College took advantage in the 62nd minute, pulling a goal back to reduce the deficit.

The goal gave the Green and Whites renewed confidence, and despite playing with ten men, they showed no willingness to sit back. The match became increasingly difficult for Lions when College introduced the experienced Anthony Hernandez, whose arrival helped the visitors gain ground and apply further pressure.

Lions eventually regained control as College began to tire. Soler again came to his side’s aid in the 72nd minute with an excellent close-range stop.

Rattled by Lions’ near miss, College increased the tempo in an attempt to move the game back into the Lions half. Although they pushed their opponents deeper, they repeatedly lost possession near the penalty area because they could not find the final pass.

Lions did little with the ball themselves, allowing College to build from the back once again. However, the same pattern continued as the match entered its final ten minutes: College advanced, lost possession, and left space for Lions to exploit.

Lions somehow failed to add a third after a fine move from Marques, who laid the ball back for Cardozo to shoot from within two metres of the goal line. His weak effort was blocked, and the rebound was sent wide.

College continued searching for an equaliser in the closing minutes, but Lions used the spaces left behind to create chances of their own. Soler was forced into two more good blocks to keep them out.

As the match entered injury time, Lions slowed the pace to a crawl, content to protect their lead and wait for the final whistle.

The result gave Lions their first league victory of the season and temporarily moved them to the top of the table.