Larne manager Gary Haveron admitted his players were left shattered after a dramatic collapse saw their Uefa Conference League qualifying tie slip away against Lincoln Red Imps, ending the Irish League champions' hopes of reaching the competition's league phase for a second time in three years.
The Invermen had appeared firmly in control of the tie, having taken a commanding 2-0 advantage from the first leg played in Gibraltar. With the return fixture goalless deep into the closing stages, Larne looked set to progress comfortably. Instead, the game turned dramatically in the space of just two minutes, as Kike Gomez and Manu Toledano struck to level the aggregate scoreline and completely shift the momentum of the tie.
Things then got worse for Larne when defender Montel Gibson was shown a second yellow card before the end of normal time, leaving the Irish side to play out the remainder of the contest a man down. Despite the setback, Larne held firm through extra time and appeared destined to take their chances in a penalty shootout.
However, in the cruellest of twists, Chris Gallagher conceded a penalty in the final minute of extra time, handing Toledano the chance to complete his brace and seal the comeback from the spot. The Gibraltarian side made no mistake, converting to send Larne crashing out of Europe in agonising fashion.
Speaking after the match, Haveron did not hide his disappointment at how the tie had unravelled after his side had been on the verge of securing progression. "I think that's what ultimately the feeling is, heartbreaking. So disappointed in that because for 82 minutes I thought we were absolutely brilliant," he told BBC Sport NI.
The Larne boss praised his side's overall performance but pointed to missed opportunities as the difference between success and failure on the night. "The biggest criticism I had was we haven't taken any of the chances that we had," he said.
Haveron also reflected on how quickly the game turned once Lincoln Red Imps found their opening goal, describing the strike as exceptional quality but lamenting his side's vulnerability in the aftermath. "I think we limited them to very little in the second half, but then the lad [Gomez] cuts in off the left-hand side and scores an absolute wonder goal and then you're caught in that scenario where you're a bit vulnerable for that period of time. When you're vulnerable you can't afford to concede and we did concede the second goal," he explained.
The manager also raised concerns over the buildup to the equaliser, suggesting his side had been unfortunate not to have a foul awarded in their favour before Lincoln broke away to score. "I even have a bit of a problem with the first goal because it's a clear handball from Lopez on the edge of the box and they break down and go down the other end and score. That's the small margins at this level and they haven't gone our way tonight," Haveron added.
The result brings a painful end to Larne's European campaign this season, with the Irish League champions left to rue fine margins after appearing well placed to reach the Conference League league phase for the second time in three years.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.