Ten-man Lincoln Red Imps qualify to next round on penalty shootout
Lincoln Red Imps 0-1 Hamrun Spartans
(aggregate 1-1 Lincoln Red Imps win 6-5 after penalty shoot out)
Having come away from their first-leg match with a one-goal advantage against Hamrun Spartans, Lincoln Red Imps walked out onto the field at Europa Point Stadium knowing that protecting their lead guaranteed them a big payout. Winning would have meant playing Azerbaijan champions Qarabag in the second round, with the worst-case scenario being a third round in the UEFA Conference League if they did not succeed against them. A defeat against Hamrun would not only be a blow to their confidence after a well-deserved victory in Malta, but would also see them playing in the second round of the Conference League, two rounds further away from the play-offs towards group matches than they would have liked.
Javi Munoz made changes to his first eleven from the team that played in Malta, notably replacing Kike with Lee Casciaro. Kike, who had been on loan for most of last season, was sent off in the first-leg match, forcing changes to the first-eleven selection. The presence of Casciaro meant that Lincoln Red Imps started with an offensive-looking first eleven. Casciaro, along with new signing Joe and Britto, spread in a midfield role in front of the back four, while Villacanas and Bent sat immediately between them, with De Barr as the main forward. With both Nano and Ayew on either side in defense, both capable of taking runs down the flanks, Lincoln had enough firepower to add to their tally, although Hamrun had a strong squad that had shown they were a tough team.
Europa Point, despite the sun beating down on the stadium, benefited from a near-constant sea breeze, making the temperature less of a problem than other seasons when matches have been played at Victoria Stadium. This was the first Champions League match to be played at the stadium, following Bruno Magpies' victory over Derry in the UEFA Conference League the previous week.
Despite starting with a goal lead, Lincoln Red Imps did not hesitate to use their possession from the beginning to test their opponents' defense. Both keepers at either end got an early touch of the ball as the visitors also searched for an early goal. Lincoln was dealt a heavy blow after just five minutes. A high-foot challenge that caught a Maltese player high on the ankles saw Daniel Bent receive a direct red card, the official not hesitating to make the decision. This mirrored Hamrun’s fate in Malta, where they too saw an early red card in the first-leg match.
Lincoln kept their composure and made only small adjustments through the middle of the field to fill the gap left by Bent. With the match very much stop-and-start in the first ten minutes, Nano had a chance to create an opportunity with a free kick from in front of the stands. His cross, however, landed short, setting Hamrun on a run. Windy conditions, which both sides had to get used to, did not make for easy play.
A great strike from Raphael Lopes forced a double save from Santana, who blocked the first shot and then repelled a shot from the rebound collected by Lopes. The Lincoln keeper ensured Hamrun was denied their first clear attempt on goal. Javi Munoz made a change in the 13th minute, taking off Lee Casciaro for Graeme Torrilla, his second appearance since returning from injury.
Lincoln Red Imps felt the pressure from a Hamrun side using their one-man advantage to good effect, pushing Lincoln back into their half and waiting for the chance to counter. Lincoln had another chance to test Hamrun’s defense with a free kick from some distance from the goal. However, Nano’s cross again fell short of reaching the main pack, with the wind playing its part, setting Hamrun back on the offensive and seeing Lincoln defending.
A mistake from Lincoln Red Imps in clearing their lines from what did not look like a dangerous free kick conceded to the left of the goal saw the clearance sent back in, with the Brazilian Raphael Lopes collecting the cross from Prsa and sending the ball low under Santana. Although a goal was initially given, officials soon changed the decision after viewing VAR, with an offside given. This served as a warning to Lincoln Red Imps, who had yet to get back into the match following the sending-off.
Lincoln responded with an attempt by Villacanas that was blocked, and then Joe was blocked from taking a second shot at goal. A free kick from Nano in the 26th minute was this time well-delivered, with an attempt blocked again. Tjay next ran at Hamrun’s defense as Lincoln hit back when in possession, his run halted at the edge of the box in the 28th minute. The visitors, who had been controlling possession, found themselves momentarily using long balls and having to backtrack quickly.
As they arrived at the half-hour mark, the match again started to settle down, with Lincoln Red Imps tightening their lines and the visitors maintaining control of possession. On the 32nd minute, Tjay again showed he was still a threat, taking possession at the halfway line and running at the defense before he was stopped at the edge of the penalty box. Just moments later, Tjay combined with Nano, the latter opening space for Joe, who grabbed a chance to try and lob the keeper from distance, forcing a great save for a corner. Ayew’s initial delivery fell short once again, but collecting the clearance, he sent it to the back post, unfortunately with Britto unable to put it back in front of goal.
On the 36th minute, Hamrun tested Lincoln’s defense with a quick counter, Lope doing well to intercept the run and send the ball to the corner, the ball swung out again as the wind seemed to play its role. Although not the tidiest of matches, Lincoln Red Imps, playing with just ten men from the fifth minute of the match, had done well to protect their lead. They were, however, disappointed with the referee's decision when Mbong challenged De Barr, sending him sprawling to the ground, but only receiving a yellow card. The Lincoln players highlighted how Bent’s challenge had been less harsh yet received an immediate red.
As the match arrived in its final minutes of the first half, Bonello, Hamrun’s keeper, received some reprimands from his defense as he tried to chip the ball over the forward but only sent it to the feet of Villacanas, with defenders struggling to clear their lines. Halftime arrived with the score still at 0-0.
Lincoln Red Imps started the second half knowing they were playing with just ten men, having faced a similar problem in the first leg before Kike's sending off evened things up. The first chance came from Villacanas, who hit a volley on a poorly cleared ball from the Hamrun defense. However, the ball fell easily for Bonello to collect.
The Maltese side set about putting pressure on Lincoln’s defense, with the sun shining directly into Santana’s face as a corner was taken. A controversial decision to allow play to continue after a foul on a Lincoln player nearly caught the defense off guard, as even the Hamrun players had stopped, expecting a foul call.
Although the visitors had the better of the early possession, Santana had not yet been tested as the match reached the 50th minute. Tjay De Barr, playing as the lone forward, did well to protect possession and shield the ball. Despite being on the receiving end of some harsh challenges, it was his colleague Joe who received the next yellow card for a similar challenge on Eder.
As the minutes ticked away and they entered the first hour of play, Lincoln Red Imps were doing enough to frustrate the visitors and push them back into their half when in possession. Interestingly, despite the match being played at Europa Point and some screens placed around the perimeter, some members of the public were watching from the perimeter fence, with officials unable to do much about it.
In the 60th minute, De Barr collected well at the edge of the box and combined with Nano, who sent a wide cross over the penalty area. This gave Villacanas a chance at goal, forcing Bonello to make a save. Moments later, De Barr appeared to have been fouled just outside the penalty area, but the referee again let play continue, frustrating the Lincoln players.
Hamrun won a corner in the 62nd minute, with Santana punching away the first delivery. The next delivery to the far post was somehow fumbled by Prsa, resulting in a goal kick with an open goal. The referee received jeers from Lincoln fans when he called a foul against Tjay and then booked him, with fans unhappy about the many calls going against their team.
Mbong, already on a yellow, was lucky not to receive a second when he bundled Britto to the ground by the corner flag. The free kick sent to the front post was cleared with a diving header by defenders. Unable to maintain forward momentum, Lincoln had to backtrack to defend, with nine players behind the ball and only De Barr upfront.
A run by De Barr down the left flank forced a tough challenge from Eder, who ended up in the referee’s book with a yellow card after 70 minutes of play. Javi Munoz took the opportunity to make changes, bringing off Villacanas for Munoz as Lincoln seemed to take some semblance of control of the game, stalling Hamrun and closing down their chances.
De Barr again forced another yellow card on Hamrun players, with Borg committing a foul as the Lincoln players threatened to outrun the defense. The Gibraltar player was at the center of another controversial call when an elbow from Borg went unpunished. Instead, the Lincoln bench saw a yellow card for protesting the decision.
As they reached the 80th minute, a free kick floated in front of the Hamrun goal but did not find a finish. With confidence high and forcing fouls, Lincoln stalled the visitors and threatened to break the deadlock.
Frustrations ran high, and the visitors' bench was warned by the referee after throwing a replacement ball onto the pitch in an attempt to hurry up play. An untidy match saw Hamrun urgently trying to regain possession, with fouls continuing into the final five minutes, favoring the hosts.
In the 87th minute, Munoz, stealing the ball in Lincoln’s half, set up De Barr for a chase to goal. After taking on defenders, his final shot went wide past the goal. Lincoln was dealt a blow just moments later. What looked like a simple ball to clear in the goalmouth saw Vitao control well amid a medley of defenders, turn, and level the score with just minutes to play.
With the aggregate score now level and the prospect of playing extra time with just ten men on the field, the outlook did not look good for the hosts. Nevertheless, Lincoln found their way to threaten their opponents' goal, with De Barr again winning a chase for the ball he seemed to have lost. Nano’s cross into the penalty area did not get the needed touch, marking Lincoln’s last opportunity before the final whistle.
The match went into extra time.
Hamrun Spartans started extra time controlling possession and penning Lincoln into their own half early on. Letherby sent a shot just over the bar three minutes into the first half of extra time.
Lincoln responded with Lope setting up Britto as they moved through the middle of the defense. The Maltese keeper sent the ball to a corner. A floated corner to the far post saw Torrilla glance the ball just wide of the post.
Javi Munoz, who had only made two changes, replaced Ayew with Toni. In the 99th minute, Britto set off De Barr on another tantalizing run. However, even after turning past the first defender, he still had two more to get past, which proved too much for him.
Tired legs led to a tame shot in the 102nd minute, which could have seen Lincoln take the lead. Nevertheless, Lincoln looked more comfortable on the ball than the visitors as the minutes ticked away.
In the second half of extra time, Torrilla was replaced by Yahaya. Play opened up at both ends as players struggled to chase back. In the 110th minute, Santana came out and was caught by attackers, but no foul was given. With the goalkeeper out of his penalty box, Hamrun saw a shot cleared off the goal line, with Letherby then hitting the crossbar as the Maltese players claimed a goal from the first attempt.
Sergeant was replaced by Julian Valarino with seven minutes left in extra time. A long throw from Nano saw Hamrun scramble to clear from inside their penalty area. Nano got a second chance to do the same, but this time the visitors cleared.
The final minutes saw both sides showing very tired legs, with mistakes on both sides. The match went into a penalty shootout.
It was Ethan Britto who was to take the first spot kick securing the first goail. Under the jeers of the home crowd Emerson was to put the ball in the top of the net past Santana.
Nano was to net the second with some power before wishing Santana good luck. Montebello calmly put it through the middle to level the score once again.
Tjay De Barr, was to do the same as Montebello setting the tone. Mayron again levelling as substitute Toni was next.
Even though the wind forced the ball to be put back on its spot again Toni was to score with some confidence.
Mbong, who had scored against Gibraltar also send Santana the wrong way.
It was another substitute Munoz with the final of the five first penalties for Lincoln Red Imps, thumping it into the top of the net away from the keeper’s reach.
Hamrun veteran Borg was to take the final of the first five penalties. Borg was to send his kick over the bar. Lincoln who had played 115 minutes with ten men winning the shootout 5-4 and qualifying into the next round of the Champions League where they play Azerbijan league champions Qarabag.