St Joseph beat Glacis Utd with ease

Boosted by Wednesday’s convincing 4–1 victory over Lincoln Red Imps, it came as no surprise that St Joseph started confidently against Glacis United.

A chilly yet sunny Saturday afternoon greeted both teams at Europa Point, with the Blues dominating possession from the outset. Defensive errors by Glacis United, combined with St Joseph’s constant high pressure, led to at least five close attempts on goal within the opening fifteen minutes.

The deadlock was broken in the 16th minute following a long throw-in flicked on behind the defence. Although the initial effort was blocked, the rebound fell to Facundo, who smashed the ball home to give St Joseph the lead.

As Alain Pons had commented after the victory over Lincoln Red Imps, the Blues are now focused on winning all remaining matches, with the title potentially to be decided in their final fixture against Lincoln Red Imps. Should the two sides finish level on points, a draw would be enough for St Joseph to claim the championship, having secured theimg thanks to their head-to-head advantage.

After taking the lead, St Joseph continued to dominate possession but were more willing to slow the tempo, retaining the ball patiently while waiting for further opportunities.

After twenty minutes, Glacis had yet to create a meaningful opportunity at the other end, underlining St Joseph’s control of the match. Their first goalmouth action came in the 22nd minute following a brief spell of possession, although there was little threat in the attack.

Having shown in midweek how devastating their counter-attacking play could be, St Joseph allowed Glacis to advance their lines, not causing concern but instead opening space for potential counters. Glacis quickly adapted, closing down deeper and showing caution when attempting to push forward.

Approaching the half-hour mark, Banda’s only involvement came from routine back passes, which he dealt with comfortably, acting almost as an extra defender as St Joseph passed the ball around against the two Glacis players willing to cross the halfway line when long balls were played forward.

Glacis earned their first corner in the 28th minute down their right flank. The delivery was well cleared, eventually ending with an offside call as the ball was sent back into the area. St Joseph responded immediately, with Peña testing Victor at the other end.

St Joseph then had a moment of alarm when a poor back pass forced Banda into a quick reaction, nearly resulting in an own goal. Ironically, Glacis’ best chance of levelling came from a St Joseph defensive error.

The referee, who had enjoyed a quiet afternoon up to that point, showed the first yellow card to the St Joseph captain for feigning a foul while appealing for a penalty, stamping out any dissent quickly. This proved to be the referee’s only significant intervention in a half that featured very few fouls.

With no ball boys present, throw-ins and corners became the biggest source of lost time, as players were forced to retrieve the ball from the adjacent pitch.

In the 38th minute, Reyes was played through following a quick one-touch passing move from the centre circle into the penalty area. Beating the goalkeeper as he rounded him, a second goal looked certain, but Reyes somehow failed to convert, missing the target entirely.

The second goal did arrive just two minutes later. Peña combined with teammates in a series of one-touch passes before striking from the far edge of the six-yard box, the ball clipping the underside of the crossbar before nestling into the net in the 40th minute.

Pinned inside their own half, Glacis showed no signs of mounting an attacking threat until the final seconds of the half, with St Joseph content to see out the interval.

St Joseph should have added a third within the opening five minutes of the second half, with only fortune preventing Glacis United from conceding. The Blues emerged with renewed intensity, while Glacis appeared to have briefly lost concentration.

St Joseph were forced into a change in the 50th minute as Jayce Mascarenhas Olivero left the field injured, marking their third substitution after two changes made at half-time.

Glacis briefly regained focus following the stoppage but, after a short attacking flurry, found themselves once again defending deep. While St Joseph continued to search for a third goal, the urgency had diminished as Glacis failed to pose any offensive threat.

With four league matches remaining in round two, Glacis looked like a side resigned to an early exit from the league, lacking both belief and spirit. Victor kept the scoreline respectable, denying St Joseph on several occasions, most notably in the 75th minute.

The third goal, however, came just a minute later. Poor defensive marking allowed St Joseph attackers to enter the penalty area unchallenged, and Rodriguez found a finish past Victor, who could do little more than attempt a block.

In the 83rd minute, St Joseph added a fourth to cap off a week in which they had scored eight goals — four against the defending champions and another four against one of the league’s historic sides, now once again battling to stay clear of the foot of the table.

As expected after their midweek triumph, St Joseph consolidated their position at the top of the league with a comfortable victory over Glacis United.