Lions Gibraltar prove to be tough opposition for Lincoln Red Imps
Lions Gibraltar 0
Lincoln Red Imps 2
Lions’ dreams of challenging the top three faded early in their Sunday clash with Lincoln Red Imps. Despite Lincoln Red Imps coming off a bruising midweek encounter with St Joseph, they struck early to take the lead.
A perfectly floated cross from Nano on the wing towards the far post left the Lions’ defenders struggling to clear. The ball fell to Toni Garcia, who made no mistake, smashing it past the Lions’ keeper to put Lincoln ahead.
Still undefeated but with fewer games played than their main rivals, Lincoln Red Imps were in catch-up mode as they pushed to gain critical points in the race for the top of the table. Scoreless draws against both Europa and St Joseph had seen Lincoln drop valuable points against key competitors. Their only full three-point win against a current top-three team was over Bruno Magpies.
It was crucial for Lincoln not to drop any more points, which could give an early advantage to their main rivals. Surprisingly, Europa had emerged as one of those top competitors, remaining unbeaten after eight matches despite less investment than in previous seasons.
Lincoln maintained their momentum, and Toni Garcia came close to scoring a second goal shortly after his first, with his shot going just wide. Lions, who had suffered a last-minute defeat to St Joseph the previous weekend, were now facing another tough match against a title favorite.
However, Lions provided stiff opposition, holding their own through the first half. After three minutes of added time, the half ended with Lincoln up by a single goal, leaving everything still to play for.
In a second half with opportunities at both ends, it was Lincoln Red Imps who sealed the game. A superb run by Thay De Barr, taking on defenders and sending the ball across goal, found Britto in open space to tap into an empty net. The second goal in the 87th minute put the match beyond Lions’ reach.
De Barr and Britto were substituted in the final minutes, with Javan Peacock and Lee Chipolina coming on, giving Lincoln a chance to rest key players ahead of their Wednesday match, reducing the risk of injury.
Despite a solid performance that showed they are a force to be reckoned with, Lions were again unable to take any points from a clash with one of the top three.