Gibraltar and São Tomé and Príncipe played out a 0-0 draw in a friendly international on 23 September 2026. The hosts dominated possession but could not find a way through an organised defence. To be fair, São Tomé and Príncipe made the most of their opportunities in the second half, though neither side could convert.
The first half ended without incident, save for two yellow cards. P. Lima collected a booking for São Tomé and Príncipe in the 23rd minute, and N. Pozo went offside for Gibraltar by the hour mark. By then, Gibraltar had already made six changes at the interval — J. Scanlon, L. Mason, B. Banda, J. Valarino, N. Pozo and B. Lopes all came on together.
And here's the thing about the second half: Gibraltar looked more dangerous but lacked the final pass. They registered two shots on target and four off target, while São Tomé and Príncipe managed just one on target from six attempts. The visitors also earned three corners to Gibraltar's two, suggesting they had more sustained pressure at times.
G. Carvalho picked up a yellow card for São Tomé and Príncipe in the 49th minute, and the match grew scrappy as both sides made changes. H. Stevens, J. Bartolo, J. Gomez and E. Jolley came on for the visitors in the 61st minute. P. McClafferty replaced a Gibraltar player in the 73rd, while São Tomé and Príncipe brought on Y. Bonfim and later G. Carvalho again as the game dried up.
The statistics tell a familiar story. Gibraltar held 56 per cent possession and committed 12 fouls compared to 17 for the visitors. São Tomé and Príncipe had four offside calls, which perhaps reflects their attempts to catch the defence behind. Shots accuracy sat at 0.25 for Gibraltar and a lower 0.1 for the visitors — chances went begging for both sides.
Gibraltar return to form after two defeats to Latvia and a heavy loss to Czechia in March. They had beaten the Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands comfortably in June, so this draw feels like a step back. São Tomé and Príncipe have not won since their 1-0 victory over Malawi in October 2025, and this result hardly helps their confidence.