St Joseph push Bruno’s out of title contention

St Joseph 2-0 Bruno Magpies

The first of the big three clashes saw St Joseph take on Bruno Magpies on Sunday.
The early moments of the match showed how much respect each team had for the other as they both built slowly, testing each other’s positions in what was a nervy start for both.
Both teams had already qualified for European football. For St Joseph, this was already an achievement considering last season’s failure to advance. However, dropping into second place after leading the table for the better part of the season was a disappointment.
Collecting all three points against Bruno’s could ensure they stayed on track to make it to the final match of the season, a final against Lincoln Red Imps. Bruno’s, however, were a tough side and were determined to show it from the start.
St Joseph’s defense was on high alert in the first ten minutes as Bruno’s tested them. After several incursions into their penalty area, an attempt at goal on the tenth minute ended with a murmur through the small crowd as Bruno provided their first warning that they were there for the three points as well.
Bruno’s success in recent years had mainly been due to Nathan Rooney’s attacking style, while St Joseph, known for their defensive record, saw a balanced match with both sides playing to their strengths well.
St Joseph showed that even though they focused on their defensive play, they could strike at any time, with a great build-up resulting in a shot just over Hankins’ crossbar on the 17th minute.
As expected, the match was an intense encounter in which neither side controlled the pace, leading to a tough first half-hour of play in which both sides had their moments of possession, and challenges were far from friendly.
Referee Jason Barcelo had already shown a number of yellow cards by the first half-hour mark, ensuring players understood he would not tolerate escalating tensions.
In the 35th minute, a harsh challenge from a Bruno’s player prompted a reaction from a St Joseph player, resulting not only in a corner but also in cards shown, including to the St Joseph bench.
St Joseph’s corner was cleared at the near post, and a quick counter from Bruno’s was cleared at the halfway line. Both sides, evenly matched, were cancelling each other out.
A string of yellow cards momentarily put Barcelo in the spotlight as both sides disputed some of the decisions. Except for one attempt at either end, the last quarter of an hour saw little to indicate who could break the deadlock.
St Joseph did just that in the first minute of injury time, with Bruno’s, for once, not pressing as hard, allowing St Joseph to advance and score with a speculative attempt that rolled in at the far post, giving St Joseph the lead.
This saw St Joseph up their game in the final minutes of injury time, with another shot going across goal three minutes later.
With a goal as security, St Joseph grew in confidence as they entered the second half and started to advance their lines, taking more control of the ball, which brought some danger into Hankins’ goalmouth.
A corner on the 50th minute, although well met, saw a packed Bruno’s goalmouth block the ball from heading into the near post.
Bruno’s started to ease the pressure on themselves by slowing the pace and playing short passes, momentarily taking them forward but soon being pushed back into their own half again.
Nathan Rooney made changes to alter the dynamics of the game, with Chipolina among those coming in, providing added energy into Bruno’s.
However, at first, this added energy translated into a string of fouls on both sides, resulting in a stop-and-start match and several yellow cards, along with disputes over the referee’s decisions from both sides.
Neither side helped themselves with frustrations showing as they cancelled each other out.
Adam Paz made a change, bringing on Bautista in place of Azar, as the player risked a second yellow.
In the 64th minute, St Joseph had a goal disallowed for offside after Hankins had made an initial save, but the rebound fell to Rodrigues, who had been offside when the shot came in.
The stop-and-start nature of the match, as tensions built and niggly fouls appeared and were stamped on, favored St Joseph as the match lost its fluidity.
Bruno’s were dealt a further blow with two yellow cards for Diaz, seeing them forced to play for the last twenty minutes with ten men.
Bruno’s struggled to find any rhythm that would see them overcome the odds against them. St Joseph was happy to keep the match rolling as it was, with many stops, fouls, disputes, and tensions, resulting in the match not having more than two minutes without the whistle being blown.
With four minutes of injury time played, and after Bruno’s had failed to capitalize on their chances, St Joseph struck the final blow.
Borge broke quickly on a counter, beating his markers to the ball and rounding Hankins to tap the ball into an empty net to score the second.
The three points momentarily took St Joseph to the top of the league but having played one extra match compared to Lincoln Red Imps.
For Bruno’s, this was the final chance for them to bid for the title, now mathematically out of contention.