Conference League: Larne make history with momentous victory

Larne produced a stunning performance to become the first Irish League side in history to pick up a point in European competition - but they took all three with a display full of heart to beat Gent.

The Belgian side hald the majority of the possession throughout, but Larne were set up perfectly to play on the break and Tomas Cosgrove's goal just over a quarter of an hour from the end of the 90 minutes delivered the knockout blow.

Larne came into this tie off the back of five successive defeats in the competition, against a side still looking to qualify for the knockout stages of the Conference League.

With Gary Haveron taking permanent charge of the side for the first time as the new Head Coach, he bravely went with two up front in the shape of Andy Ryan and Matty Lusty.

And it was the hosts who had the first chance of the match as early as the fourth minute, when Cosgrove found himself unmarked at the back post from a Mark Randall cross. But he was unable to apply the finishing touch and could only screw his close-range effort wide.

At the other end, after Archie Brown had shot wide for the visitors, Rohan Ferguson was forced into an excellent diving save to keep out a header from Gent's Omri Gandelman.

Ryan then volleyed just wide from a tight angle, less than a minute after a big penalty shout for the hosts.

They felt Lusty's goalbound shot hit the hand of Gent defender Tsuyoshi Watanabe, but after a VAR check, no penalty was given.

That was the point where the Belgian side began to assert their authority on the game.

After a header from Andri Gudjhonsen – son of former Chelsea striker Eidur – had hit his own player when it looked like it was going in, Gent hit the woodwork on the half hour mark.

Stefan Mitrovic's header from a Sven Kums corner beat Ferguson, but came crashing back off the crossbar.

Six minutes later, they should have gone in front.

Gudjohnsen was involved again, but he somehow managed to head wide from point blank range following a corner when it looked easier to score.

The second half brought more Gent pressure as visiting Manager Wouter Vrancken – who cut an increasingly exasperated figure in his technical area as the match wore on – saw his team pin Larne back into their own half for large spells, only to come up against a resolute home defence.

Then came the breakthrough – and it went to those in red.

Sean Graham was sent scampering into space down the left by a clever Ryan backheel and his low driven cross was inch-perfect in between goalkeeper and defenders.

That allowed Cosgrove to come steaming in and get there first to rifle home into the bottom left-hand corner.

Larne hearts must have sank as the fourth official held up his board to indicate a whopping right minutes of stoppage time at the end of the game.

But they saw it out with great efficiency and a doggedness during the period late in the game that has been their downfall in previous ties in the competition.

A sense of relief, euphoria, but overall, pride was unleashed on the final whistle as Larne - and Cosgrove - will go down in the history books.

MATCH STATS

Larne: Ferguson, Cosgrove (C), Ives (McEneff 60), Want, Todd, Randall (Thomson 54), Graham, Donnelly, Gallagher (Sloan 90), Ryan (McKendry 90), Lusty (Magee 90)

Subs not used: Besant (GK), Collett (GK), O’Neill

KAA Gent: Roef, Tiago Araujo (De Meyer H-T), Brown (Torunarigha 76), Watanabe, Mitrovic, Gandelman, Ito, Kums (C) (Delorge 61), Surdez (Sonko H-T), Gudjohnsen, De Vlieger (Dean 61)

Subs not used: De Schrevel (GK), Gerkens, Gambor, Varela

Referee: Sigurd Kringstad (Norway)