Becoming the first-ever Irish League team to participate in the league phase of a European competition, Larne performed admirably to keep their Norwegian opponents at bay in the first-half, but it was six minutes after the break when Molde made the breakthrough. Advertisement Advertisement Captain Magnus Wolff Eikrem, who started his senior career with Manchester United and also represented Cardiff City while collecting 17 international caps for Norway, rifled an unstoppable effort beyond Rohan Ferguson. The Inver Reds continued to show spirit against quality opposition but fell further behind when another Norwegian international, Ola Brynhildsen, clinically finished off a slick counter-attack in the 78th minute before Frederik Ihler netted a late third after substitute Conor McKendry was shown a straight red card.
Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Belfast News Letter, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. With Molde drawn as opponents from pot two, defeat was always the most likely outcome for Tiernan Lynch’s side, but they’ll undoubtedly be able to take positives from a maiden Conference League outing ahead of another anticipated clash against Shamrock Rovers at Windsor Park later this month. Advertisement Advertisement As Larne look to continually juggle their congested fixture schedule, boss Lynch made three changes to the side that defeated Cliftonville.
