Larne edged out by Iberia 1999 after extra-time

UEFA Europa League Iberia 1999 (2) 1 - 1 (1) Larne AET Larne suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 extra-time defeat to FC Iberia 1999 in Georgia as they bowed out of the Europa League at the third qualifying round stage. After a goalless first leg in Northern Ireland, Larne's defensive discipline looked to have unravelled when Vakho Bedoshvili put the home side ahead with 14 minutes remaining in Tbilisi. But Academy graduate James Simpson equalised just over a minute later to force the tie to extra time, only for Nika Sikharulashvili to win it for the eastern Europeans in the first period of extra-time. Defeat extinguishes Larne's hopes of setting up a potential glamour tie with Scottish giants Rangers in the next round of the Europa League but they now drop into the Conference League where they face a play-off with the aim of reaching the league stage of that competition for the second time in three years. The Inver Park side will face either Lincoln Red Imps of Gibraltar or Omonia Nicosia in their play-off. Larne made a confident start and managed to keep anxious moments to a minimum in the early stages, with Sikharulashvili bursting into the left hand side of the Larne penalty area and firing a dangerous low centre across the face of goal but Sean Graham was alert to clear the danger behind for a corner. Larne had a good opening midway through the first half when Matty Lusty intercepted a pass deep in the Iberia half and drove at the home defenders before dragging a shot wide of the left-hand post. The visitors were thankful to Rohan Ferguson for keeping the tie scoreless just before the half-hour mark after a long ball into the right hand channel with Vakho Bedoshvili jinking past Graham and standing up a cross to the back post which Zviad Natchkhebia met with a downward volley but Ferguson was superbly positioned to divert the ball away. The Scottish goalkeeper survived an anxious moment in the opening stages of the second half when a long-range strike from Jemal-Giorgi Jinjolava slipped through his grasp and the ball appeared to be trundling towards the goal but defender Dan Bent was well positioned to hook the ball away. Larne spent much of the second period under pressure from Iberia and the hosts eventually took the lead on 74 minutes when Bedoshvili latched on to a clever flick, got away from Chris Gallagher and then cut inside Bent to fire a low left-footed shot which fizzed past Rohan Ferguson. However Larne were level little more than a minute later when Bent pushed further forward after that Iberia goal, had a shot on goal blocked, but the ball dropped to Simpson, who fired in a left-footed shot via the inside of the post. With neither side able to add to their tally, the tie moved into extra time and it was the Georgians who struck the decisive blow on 102 minutes when Sikharulashvili latched onto a beautifully weighted pass from Nikoloz Dadiani to get the faintest of touches past the advancing Ferguson.