One-way traffic as Lincoln sink ten past Manchester 62

Manchester 62 may have lined up with a far more senior side than in their previous encounter against Lincoln Red Imps, but from the opening exchanges there was little doubt about who were favourites to take the three points.

Confident on the ball from the start, it was one-way traffic as Lincoln piled pressure on Manchester 62, pinning them deep inside their own half. Within the first twelve minutes, Lincoln had already carved out four clear chances.

The combination of Mueller, Colega and De Barr down the right flank left Manchester 62 struggling to cope with the relentless advances. Nineteen minutes into the first half, despite blocking an initial effort, Manchester 62 could not prevent the goal-hungry Pozo from collecting the loose ball unmarked and calmly slotting past Victor with his first touch.

Just four minutes later, De Barr crashed the ball against the underside of the crossbar. Fortune favoured Manchester 62 as the ball bounced the wrong side of the line.

Victor was again called into action on 28 minutes, producing a fine block after De Barr won the chase during a quick counter following Manchester 62’s first venture beyond the halfway line. De Barr continued to be the target of robust challenges, often swarmed by two defenders.

One such foul led to a free kick, with Nani’s floated delivery headed down by Pozo and superbly saved on the line by Victor. By the half-hour mark, Manchester 62 looked as though they were simply hanging on, having created nothing at the other end.

Lincoln’s pressure finally told again on 33 minutes. A well-delivered corner was headed back into the crowded goalmouth, where Kike, with his back to goal, turned sharply to beat Victor from inside the six-yard box.

Lincoln maintained their dominance through to the interval. In the 47th minute, De Barr once again struck the crossbar, this time from distance, lofting the ball goalwards and forcing Victor to tip it onto the frame of the goal. The Manchester 62 keeper was crucial in keeping the scoreline down to just two goals. At the other end, Hankins was largely a spectator during the first half.

For Lincoln, taking all three points was vital. Despite having beaten St Joseph’s in the Rock Cup, a league defeat to the same opponents left St Joseph’s with the head-to-head advantage. Prior to this fixture, Lincoln were four matches behind St Joseph’s and twelve points adrift. Dropping points while attempting to close that gap could prove costly in the title race.

Manchester 62 felt the full impact of that urgency, with Lincoln showing no sign of easing off. Although the match saw some physicality, the referee was rarely called into major action.

The second half began much as the first had ended, with Lincoln dictating the tempo. On 54 minutes, they again struck the woodwork, Victor beaten once more.

With the rain cleared and the return of the ball boys, play flowed with fewer delays for throw-ins and corners — something not seen at Europa Point in recent weeks. Approaching the hour mark, Manchester 62 launched a rare counter, quickly halted by Nano, who conceded a free kick. The resulting delivery into the box came to nothing, wasting what was their first attacking opportunity of the half.

Moments later, the ball was back at the other end, with Manchester’s defence again under siege. A through ball into the six-yard box was met by Kike on a diagonal run, allowing him to tap home his second on 62 minutes.

De Barr and Pozo were withdrawn on 65 minutes as Bezares rested key players ahead of Thursday’s clash with Europa. Their replacements made an immediate impact. Elgohabashy scored with his first touch on 68 minutes, tapping in Lincoln’s fourth.

Just a minute later, Colega added the fifth as three Lincoln players found themselves unmarked at the far post following a lofted ball back into the goalmouth.

Further changes followed as Lincoln sought to manage their squad with a comfortable lead. Hankins was finally tested on 73 minutes, claiming a corner with authority — one of the few times he was required to intervene.

The substitutions offered no respite for Manchester 62. The competition for places within the Lincoln squad injected fresh energy, resulting in a sixth goal on 75 minutes. A powerful shot rebounded off Elgohabashy for his second, although any one of three attackers could have finished, with just a single defender left guarding the goal.

Elgohabashy completed his hat-trick on 77 minutes, beating two defenders before driving the ball into the net. A minute later, Manchester 62 were scrambling to concede a corner as Lincoln pushed for an eighth.

That corner was floated to the back post, where Manchester’s defence failed to stop Lope from pulling the ball back into Torrilla’s path to make it eight. Veteran Lee Casciaro, who had just entered the game, then won a penalty and calmly converted it himself.

Shambolic defending from Manchester 62 threatened to see Lincoln add even more. In the 85th minute, Nani’s free kick was well blocked by Victor, but with no defensive support arriving to clear the rebound, Lincoln tapped in their tenth, leaving the goalkeeper completely exposed.

With two matches remaining in the second round, Manchester 62 remain rooted to the foot of the table. The 10–0 scoreline was the second such defeat they have suffered this season, having also lost by the same margin to St Joseph’s in December, albeit while fielding a youthful side.