Champions League dream over for Larne after heartbreaking extra-time loss to HJK Helsinki
Larne (2) 2-2 (3) HJK Helsinki (after extra-time)
Lee Bonis is stunned after HJK Helsinki's winner
Larne
Larne striker Andy Ryan chases down Miro Tenho of HJK Helsinki in their Champions League first qualifying round second leg tie at Solitude
Larne's Joe Thomson celebrates their equalising goal against HJK Helsinki
Gutsy Larne may have crashed out of the Champions League but they left Solitude with the pride very much intact.
It was always going to be a demanding task for Tiernan Lynch’s team, who trailed HJK Helsinki 1-0 from the first leg in Finland last week and their task became a lot worse when Tuomas Ollila shot the visitors into a first half lead.
But Larne produced a magical second half performance. They levelled things through a Lee Bonis penalty kick, awarded on the recommendation of the Visual Referee’s Assistant after Jukka Raitala handled a cross from Andy Ryan.
Bonis stepped up to score, but it got even better for the Irish League boys when substitute Joe Thomson shot them into the lead with only three minutes left, forcing extra-time.
However, Larne’s ambitions of reaching the second round were dashed when defender Shaun Want deflected a shot from substitute Roope Riski into his own net – the agony that hovered over the stadium was tangible.
Lynch’s team will now drop into the Europa Conference League – they will face FC Ballkani, from Kosovo, next week.
Larne owner Kenny Bruce wanted to hear the Champions League anthem echo around the tidy, new look Inver Park – sadly, the business tycoon never got his wish.
Unfortunately, the pitch failed to meet the required FIFA criteria, the synthetic surface failing one element of the pro-standard pitch test, forcing the change of venue.
Bruce, who was at the game
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