Shelbourne victory against St Joseph tarnished by fans’ chants

St Joseph 1-1 Shelbourne
(Shelbourne qualify to next round on aggregate, 2-1)

Gibraltar fans received a taste of what could be things to come as visiting fans from Ireland supporting Shelbourne chanted “Gibraltar Español” as the kickoff whistle blew. The chants replicated those from the Spanish national team in Madrid this past week. The fans repeated the chants just before the second-half kickoff, although they were widely ignored by annoyed but peaceful St Joseph fans.

St Joseph FC faced a tough challenge, both on and off the field as they played Ireland’s league leaders Shelbourne in the second leg of the Conference League first round, trailing by a goal after a 2-1 defeat in Ireland.

A rowdy crowd was present at Europa Sports Stadium, with Shelbourne fans having made the long trip to Gibraltar to watch their team play. A muggy, windy day awaited them, with an overcast sky, haze, and wind providing for a typical Levante day in Gibraltar. Already, the wind at Europa Point had shown how it can impact a match, with the Lincoln Red Imps’ victory over Hamrun earlier in the week demonstrating how the strong gusts played their part during the penalty shootout.

A strong St Joseph fan base, known for their vociferous presence, made for very active stands, something rarely seen these days in Gibraltar football. However, the Shelbourne fans, being the most vociferous, won the initial shouting match but did not win any local support as they started to shout “Gibraltar Español.”

Three minutes into the match, Shelbourne took the first shot. The match saw some tense initial minutes as both teams settled down. A lobbed ball over the Shelbourne defense was cleared from just in front of the line after eight minutes by a defender.

St Joseph took the game to the Irish side, which was more physical in their approach and seemingly looking to provoke reactions, which the Blues ignored.

A high foot in the 13th minute saw Manuel Sanchez booked after leaving Coyle clutching his head to the jeers of rowdy Shelbourne fans. It was not until the 16th minute that Shelbourne got a sniff at goal, with a wild kick by Lunney going well wide.

Although with greater possession as they headed past the first twenty minutes, St Joseph still had to find a clear way to break what was a tightly compact defense from the Shelbourne side. Floated crosses into the penalty area were easily dealt with by defenders.

With 24 minutes played, a good combination in midfield saw Walker receive close to the edge of the box. The veteran midfielder, who had only just joined the Blues from Lincoln Red Imps, sent a strike to the top corner away from the outstretched Shelbourne keeper. St Joseph leveled the score on aggregate.

Shelbourne put pressure on St Joseph, which paid off ten minutes later with Samuel Bone leveling the score and placing the Irish side in front on aggregate.

St Joseph did not sit back and once again put pressure on their opponents, with first Sanchez and then Moreno missing the target.

The Shelbourne fans once again took center stage with their chanting but did little to quell St Joseph spirits on the turf.

With 43 minutes played, Kearns was forced to make a save, sending the ball to the post as St Joseph came close to retaking the lead. A strike from distance from Walker, minutes later, with a swirling wind, forced Kearns to do a double take, collecting what should have been an easy catch, the keeper nearly falling back into his goal.

The Blues, however, had to walk into halftime knowing they had been close but were still trailing on aggregate.

The chants of “Gibraltar Español” echoed again from the visiting fans as St Joseph walked onto the pitch. The irony was that St Joseph, with a British owner, a Spanish head coach, and half the squad from Spain with the other half mainly representing Gibraltar at the international level, were a cultural mix where politics played no part in their daily roles as players.

Shelbourne started the second half confidently, pushing St Joseph back and threatening for their second. Wood and then Martin were denied in the first five minutes as a tight defense blocked their way to a clear chance.

Two very contrasting styles were seen, with St Joseph playing a controlled short-passing game while Shelbourne were more direct, very much an English-style game.

St Joseph’s patient build-up started to see them gaining ground as the visitors focused more on long punts. As they approached the hour mark, the Blues started to control possession.

With the minutes ticking away, it was, however, St Joseph who had to watch how Shelbourne’s direct approach was yielding more in terms of chances at goal. It was not until the 65th minute that the Blues came close to goal, a final block allowing Kearns to collect with ease.

A corner for Shelbourne in the 66th minute did not threaten Ruiz’s goal but seemed to spark St Joseph to test the visitors’ defense down the flanks. Pushing the visitors back into their half, St Joseph started to see more of the ball in advanced positions but were effectively denied enough space to score.

It was another Walker attempt from distance, this time from the halfway line, that tried to surprise Kearns. However, although the keeper was far from his goal, so was the final drop of the ball from the long lob.

The lack of attempts on goal was now weighing heavily on St Joseph as they entered the final fifteen minutes of the match, with the visitors looking comfortable in protecting their lead. On the 78th minute, they added extra pressure with Coyle replaced by Smith, a forward replacing a midfielder.

With 81 minutes played, Barrett conceded a free kick close to the corner flag, receiving a yellow card as well. A flicked header from the free kick struck the bottom of the crossbar.

Walker then received a yellow for a foul on Boyd as the visitors tried to counter quickly. Just a minute later, after a quick sprint down the right flank, the subsequent cross into the goalmouth was headed just wide off the goal by Gaucho.

Ruiz was then in action at the other end as Shelbourne countered quickly, using the open spaces left by a stretched St Joseph side looking for that second goal. Shelbourne took off Jarvis, one of their frontmen, for defender Griffin as they strengthened at the back for the final minutes.

A push on the touchline in front of the Shelbourne bench by Olivero on a visiting player saw players jump off the bench and confront Olivero. Both benches reacted, jumping up to confront each other. The final minutes were prolonged as the referee decided what action to take. Shelbourne’s Gannon and Olivero were sent off, with personnel from both benches receiving yellow cards. The tensions by the touchline remained high as the match resumed five minutes into injury time.

St Joseph earned a corner, with a final header to the ground at the front post ending in Kearns’ arms. An unnecessary handball at the edge of the penalty area stopped what was a good run into the box for St Joseph. The match was now very much in a start-stop mode, with Shelbourne playing for fouls and delays.

With 99 minutes played, a long ball to the back post saw Kearns beat forwards to the ball with a commanding catch. St Joseph flung crosses into danger areas urgently as they saw the seconds tick away quickly.

The visitors protected their lead. Although the match ended in a 1-1 draw, Shelbourne qualified for the next round with a 2-1 aggregate victory. The match, however, left a bad taste due to the tensions brought by the visiting fans, whose chants of “Gibraltar Español” defined much of the match.

Local fans were allowed to leave first, with stewards ensuring visiting fans did not mix with local fans after the chants and tensions seen during the match. Locals reported being targeted with insults from visiting fans, with the Irish contingent exiting singing “Gibraltar Español.”

This same chant had led the Gibraltar FA to place a complaint against the Spanish national team for having sung it publicly, and has seen Gibraltarians targeted in recent weeks. The Irish fans’ chants should now also be expected to prompt UEFA to enforce disciplinary action against the club if it upholds its regulations on racism and discrimination, as has been seen in other high profile matches.