Full Report

Lincoln Red Imps began their UEFA Conference League campaign with a narrow 2-1 defeat against SK Brann in Bergen, despite a spirited performance that saw us take the lead through Kike.

The Imps started brightly and were immediately on the attack, earning a free-kick in a dangerous position after Álvaro Romero was fouled. Nano stepped up to take the resulting set-piece but fired his effort over the crossbar.

At the other end, Jaylan Hankins was called into action, producing two saves in quick succession to deny Kristall Ingason and Sævar Magnússon and keep the scores level.

The hosts were reduced to ten men in the 24th minute when defender Neraysho Kasanwirjo was shown a straight red card following an altercation with Mandi.

The momentum shifted in our favour, with Álvaro Romero proving to be a constant threat to the SK Brann defence. However, it was the hosts who came closest to breaking the deadlock before the interval, as Gabri Cardozo produced a crucial goal-line clearance to deny Sævar Magnússon.

Despite opportunities at both ends, the sides went into the break level at 0-0.

The Imps made the breakthrough on the hour mark. Nano delivered a dangerous free-kick into the penalty area, which the SK Brann defence failed to clear. Kike reacted quickest to the loose ball and drilled a low effort into the bottom corner to give us a deserved 1-0 lead.

However, the complexion of the game changed just two minutes later when Gabri Cardozo received a second yellow card, reducing the Imps to ten men. From the resulting free-kick, Niklas Castro curled his effort into the net to bring the hosts level.

Head coach Juanma Pavón responded by introducing Manuel Toledano, Yussef Flalhi and Facu Álvarez as we looked to inject fresh energy into our attacking play.

With less than ten minutes remaining, a controversial passage of play proved decisive.

In the build-up to Jaylan Hankins saving a back-heeled effort from Noah Holm, the SK Brann striker caught Christian Rutjens on the shin. Our defender briefly went to ground before getting back to his feet and continuing to play.

However, the referee subsequently stopped play and instructed Rutjens to leave the pitch to receive medical attention. With Christian still awaiting permission to return to the field, the hosts took advantage of our temporary numerical disadvantage.

Castro struck from outside the penalty area, with his effort taking a deflection before finding the bottom corner, beyond the outstretched Hankins, to put SK Brann 2-1 ahead.

Despite the setback, the Imps continued to push forward in search of an equaliser and came agonisingly close to snatching a point in the closing seconds.

Yussef Flalhi skipped past his marker and delivered an inviting cross towards the back post, where Manuel Toledano was waiting unmarked. However, goalkeeper Simen Nilsen rushed off his line to produce a vital save and deny the striker a dramatic late equaliser.

It was a frustrating result for the Imps, who showed tremendous character, determination and quality against strong opposition on the European stage.

Although we leave Bergen empty-handed, there are plenty of positives to take from a performance we can be proud of. We will look to build on this display and use it as a benchmark as our UEFA Conference League campaign continues.