Europa Conference League: Late heartbreak for Larne

Larne came within less than a quarter of an hour of becoming the first Irish League team to collect a point in the group stages of European competition.

However, it wasn't to be as they were hit with the epitome of a counter-attack goal from Swiss side St Gallen 11 minutes from time to fall to defeat at Windsor Park.

While it was no more than the visitors deserved on the balance of play throughout the game, it was desperately unlucky for a Larne side who ran themselves into the ground in pursuit of a positive result, after two defeats in the competition to Molde and Shamrock Rovers.

Gone was the naivety they showed against the League of Ireland champions the last time out, replaced by a more pragmatic approach from Tiernan Lynch's side - built from a solid three at the back of captain Cian Bolger, the excellent Sam Todd and Shaun Want.

It was a crazy start to the game with the ball in the back of the net at each end inside the opening four minutes – but crucially for Larne, only their goal stood.

The visitors thought they had broken the deadlock just two minutes in as Kevin Csoboth curled a fine effort past Larne goalkeeper Rohan Ferguson, but after a VAR check, he was given offside

Less than 90 seconds later, Larne took the lead.

Jordan McEneff, playing in an attacking role just off striker Andy Ryan, rolled in a low teasing cross searching for the Scot. But while it didn’t reach its intended target, the ball was turned into his own net by St Gallen centre-back Abdoulaye Diaby, with goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi left completely stranded.

St Gallen midfielder Mihailo Stevanovic rifled a 20-yard volley straight at Ferguson just before the quarter hour mark as the Swiss side began to dominate possession, winning a succession of corners. While up the other end, Ryan’s header towards goal on 25 minutes lacked power, allowing Ati-Zigi to gather comfortably.

But then just before the half hour, St Gallen equalised in stunning fashion.

Larne looked organised at the back following a corner as Chima Okoroji played a diagonal ball from left to right. It dropped perfectly over the head of Levi Ives for captain Lukas Gortler who met it on the volley spectacularly and it flew like a bullet past Ferguson before he had the opportunity to move.

That was the way it stayed until the break and it was the Swiss outfit who had the first chance of the second half, four minutes after the restart.

Chadrac Okolo lined up a 25-yard free-kick and his low curling effort forced Ferguson into a smart stop, low to his left, to keep the sides level.

While St Gallen dominated almost all of the ball in the second period, with 20 minutes to go, they had rarely troubled Ferguson’s goal. However, Larne began to drop deeper and deeper towards their own goal as the half progressed and they struggled to get out of their half at times.

Then came the heartbreak for Larne.

With 11 minutes of normal time remaining, St Gallen burst forward on the counter-attack and when Csoboth centred, Hugo Vandermersch was on hand to sidefoot into the roof of the net from six yards out, despite the best attempts of Bolger on the line.

It was tough for those connected to the Inver Park side, but they can take a lot of positives from the tie for their next outing, away to Slovenian side Olimpija Ljubljana at the end of this month.

MATCH STATS

Larne: Ferguson, Todd, Bolger (C), Want (Magee 90), Ives, Seary, Thomson, Gallagher (Donelly 82), Sloan (Graham 76), Ryan (Randall 82), McEneff (Lusty 76)

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

St Gallen: Ati-Zigl, Callci., Diaby, Vandermersch, Okoroji, Stevnaovic, Gortler (C), Csoboth (Witzig 75), Toma (Konietzke 75), Akolo (Cisse 88), Geubbels (Faber 90)

Subs not used: Watkowiak (GK), Muslija (GK), Yannick, Ruiz

Referee: Ishmael Barbara (Malta)