San Marino U21 beats Gibraltar U21

San Marino 3-0 Gibraltar U21

Gibraltar’s Under-21 team started the first of their doubleheader against San Marino by going behind 2-0 after just 15 minutes of play. Although it was an open match with space for both sides to play through, it was San Marino who struck the first blows.
Gibraltar could not come back from falling behind so early and conceded a third goal within the first hour of play. Victor made a great save in the 58th minute, pushing the ball onto the post and saving Gibraltar from further blushes with still half an hour of play to go.
As the match reached its latter stages, San Marino began to take more control and pushed Gibraltar further into their own half, limiting their chances to find a way forward. It was not until the 77th minute that McGrail had a chance to score, but his attempt was met by a great save, preventing Gibraltar from scoring.
With San Marino looking more tired and starting to sit back more, Gibraltar found more of the ball and tried to make their way to their opponents' goal. However, with a comfortable lead, San Marino could afford to sit back in numbers and close the way.
The hosts used the opportunities they had in possession to press Gibraltar back in the final ten minutes, reducing Gibraltar’s already limited opportunities to move forward. Victor sent an attempt over the crossbar in the 83rd minute as Gibraltar’s defense was slow in tracking back to cover.
San Marino managed to halt the pace of the match, and with changes in the final minutes by Gibraltar, there were few further opportunities for them to leave a mark on the match. The best chance came in injury time for San Marino, who stole up high in Gibraltar’s half. Luckily, a hurried attempt went straight into Victor’s arms.
San Marino were to walk away with a 3-0 victory. They will next play the second match in the double header this weekend.