Mons Calpe struggled to secure points against College 1975 to stay in contention for top six finish

Mons Calpe 1-0 College 1975
Mons Calpe might have been playing for the points to secure a place within the top six in the league after the first round of matches. However, the first seven minutes belonged to College 1975. With nothing to lose, the green and whites placed Mons Calpe under intense pressure with three corners and not giving the red and blacks much breathing space. It was not until the eighth minute that Mons Calpe made a break which saw the first yellow card for College 1975 as they tried to cut the quick break. The subsequent free kick allowed Mons Calpe the first attempt at goal, exposing College 1975's defensive weakness. Mons Calpe seemed to awaken to the match under the intense rain that fell over Gibraltar on Saturday. The afternoon kickoff still a dull grey day for football after close to two weeks without any domestic league football due to Gibraltar’s participation in the Nations League relegation playoff. Pressing higher, Mons Calpe started to place College under pressure, breaking their offensive flow.
In seventh position as they entered the match, Mons Calpe required to secure the three points to climb into the top six. Before the match, Mons Calpe were one point behind Lynx, and just four points behind fourth-placed Europa Point, so with everything still to play for. The rain intensified even further as they entered the first quarter of an hour, making play difficult. Even the well-built Royal Engineer drainage system, which had ensured that the Victoria Stadium does not suffer waterlogging often, was not enough to stop the pitch starting to waterlog slowly. Mons Calpe used the opportunity to add to College's pressure and hit the crossbar in one of their attempts in the seventh minute. Play continued uninterrupted, although the sliding tackles were becoming somewhat dangerous and were quickly sanctioned by the referee to put a stop to them. College 1975 seemed to slow down in their game as the rain continued to pour intensely over the Victoria Stadium. Pinned back into their half as they arrived into the first twenty minutes of the first half. One rare chance for College in those minutes was met with an immediate reaction at the other end, with Mons Calpe seeing a backheel flick to goal going into the side netting from a tight angle. With Gibraltar on its Easter vacations, and the bad weather being experienced, the stands were empty except for the handful of vocal supporters of each club. The livestream saw just 117 YouTube viewers watching the match. College were again to save themselves from conceding, with a shot from a corner kick pass hitting the post and cleared on the goal line in the 26th minute as Mons Calpe started to dominate possession.
The rain eased off as they arrived into the final quarter of an hour of the first half, College 1975 already having not just weathered the rain but also survived several clear chances from Mons Calpe to take the lead. Just as a rainbow appeared to the east side of the stadium, College 1975 started to make things more difficult for Mons Calpe to get into the final third of the pitch, pushing their opponents back. Mons Calpe struggled to keep up the momentum that had opened up several good chances to take the lead and seeing College 1975 gaining in confidence. With the thin layer of water that had gathered from the intense rain now clearing, play became easier for both. This favoured College 1975 more as they regained their momentum and were containing their opponents. College 1975 frustrating Mons Calpe and taking them into the halftime break having kept a clean sheet.
With the prospect of playing their final second-round match against St Joseph, Mons Calpe were risking an early exit from their league season if they failed to secure three points from this match. Mons Calpe tried to start the second half on the front foot but continued to fail in finding their target. Their first attempt at goal went sky-high over the crossbar on the 48th minute, posing no threat to College 1975. On the fifty-fifth minute, the referee interrupted play and gave College 1975 a free-kick well away from where the ball was being played after an off-the-ball confrontation between players, which saw him warning both players. With College 1975 sitting deep in defence, Mons Calpe did not get another chance at goal until the 61st minute, sending the ball well wide of the goal. The match became a dull affair where play was centred around the middle third, with numerous stops for niggly fouls between both sides. Mons Calpe, up to then, looked less and less likely to break the deadlock. Two minutes later, in what looked like the most unlikely situation to score, Mons Calpe finally broke the deadlock. The goal came more from mistakes by the College 1975 defence than the threat posed by Mons Calpe. A cross into the penalty area, which should have been cleared by the defence, saw some lacklustre defending and hesitation, allowing Duarte to knock the ball into the net with ease from behind three defenders. As the rain returned, Mons Calpe lived dangerously, allowing College 1975 to push forward and create their own chances as the latter looked for the equaliser. As they entered the final fifteen minutes of the match, Mons Calpe started to regain possession and control the pace of the game. College 1975, although finding their way into Mons Calpe's penalty area, had not had a shot at goal up to then. Clinton came close to adding a second for Mons Calpe with the ball dipping just over the crossbar. Mons Calpe's Borja Sanchez, who had just come on, was lucky to receive a yellow card only on the 79th minute after reacting with a late challenge following several challenges he claimed he had been fouled upon. The Mons Calpe player's action was very late and deliberate, which would normally have seen a red card. As they entered the final ten minutes of the match, both teams played out what was a niggling finale in which tensions seemed to be high on the field between individuals, risking tensions getting out of control. Mons Calpe, although securing the three points, did not impress, leaving more questions than answers as they try to secure a final top-six spot in the league. Mons Calpe struggled for the victory and will now have to try to secure further points against league leaders St Joseph while hoping that results go in their favour to secure their position.