Larne were edged out 2-1 by Lincoln Red Imps in the Uefa Conference League play-off first leg at Estadio Algarve on Thursday. Matty Lusty put the Irish League side in front on 15 minutes when VAR ruled the ball had crossed the line after his long-range strike crashed against the underside of the crossbar. The hosts were soon level with Kike Gomez slotting in before Joe fired home the winner three minutes before the break.
Larne are aiming to become the first Irish League team to reach the group stage of a major European competition. It was a slow opening quarter of an hour at the cavernous Faro stadium but the game burst into life thanks to Lusty's stunning shot. The former Dungannon Swifts loanee scored the late winner in the first leg away to Ballkani and hit a piledriver that dipped over the head of Nauzet Santana in the home goal and struck the crossbar twice.
There was an immediate appeal from the Larne players and a VAR check confirmed the ball had crossed the line. That goal appeared to sting the Red Imps into life and Larne were let off the hook almost immediately when saved well from Joe's header and Nano somehow struck the post from the rebound. However, their reprieve would not last long as Nano turned provider with a beautiful back heel that split the Larne defence and allowed Gomez to slot past Ferguson on 22 minutes.
Larne's heads did not drop and Andy Ryan struck a free-kick just over the bar on 33 minutes. Despite this positivity, they went in behind at the br.