St Joseph's make it four wins from four

St Joseph 2-0 Lions Gibraltar

Lions Gibraltar sank further as they suffered a third important defeat, this time at the hands of title contenders St Joseph.

Having already suffered defeats against Glacis United and Europa Point, Lions needed to make an impact against the Blues if they were to keep their hopes alive of contesting the top four places in the league, which could provide them with European football in the summer.

St Joseph, unbeaten in the league and having conceded just one goal in three matches, were arguably the strongest opponents Lions had faced so far this season.

The Blues had Lions under pressure from the start, with the Lions goalkeeper forced into a save within the first three minutes.

Lions' defence looked almost static as Moreno Arjona slotted the ball past the defenders and goalkeeper in the 18th minute to give St Joseph the lead.

The Saints had dominated the match up until that point.

St Joseph's dominance also saw some interesting tactics, particularly with goalkeeper Bradley Banda taking on the role of a sweeper at times, venturing outside his penalty area. It was something former goalkeeper and now St Joseph head coach Javi Muñoz was well known for doing during his time with Europa.

St Joseph's dominance continued into the second half, almost from kick-off.

Their pressure was not to produce another goal until the 72nd minute. Building patiently from the back and penning their opponents into their own half, Valarino delivered a lovely floated ball into the feet of Perez Miguel Sanchez. The latter needed a second attempt from the rebound to put the ball past the goalkeeper for what proved to be the final goal of the match.

Valarino was tripped on the very edge of the box in the 78th minute, prompting calls for a penalty, which were dismissed by referee Perez.

The goalkeeper was then forced into a good save as St Joseph searched for a third goal.

It was largely one-way traffic, with Lions having only a handful of opportunities to test the St Joseph defence.

The two goals were enough to give St Joseph another important victory, making it four wins from four matches.

Lions, meanwhile, sank to seventh in the table, below the crucial top six places that would allow them to compete for European spots.