Lincoln Red Imps take a goal lead to Northern Ireland after beating Larne 2-1 in Faro

Lincoln Red Imps 2
Larne 1

A near-empty stadium, too large for the few fans from both sides who had attended, set the stage for a tense opening. In the early minutes, Lincoln tried to take control but faced a Larne side applying high pressure.
Lincoln attempted to build from the back, testing Larne’s defense on several occasions in the first ten minutes with long balls into the penalty area. With a place in the group stages of the Conference League up for grabs, this was a crucial match for both sides, with significant economic benefits for the victors of the play-off tie.
For Lincoln, it was important to secure a positive result to take to Northern Ireland for the second leg, where Larne would have the advantage of a home crowd.
Larne had a chance from a free kick in the 12th minute. Santana came out to collect but failed, allowing a shot at goal that went wide. The play quickly shifted to the other end, where De Barr forced a free kick outside the penalty box. Nano’s shot was well collected by Ferguson.
Moments later, Larne had another opportunity, with a shot from distance striking the underside of the crossbar and appearing to bounce out. However, after a VAR review, Larne was awarded the goal with just 15 minutes played. Santana once again failed to collect what seemed like a straightforward shot, allowing the ball to squeeze through his hands and into the goal.
Buoyed by the goal, Larne confidently moved the ball, putting pressure on a Lincoln defense that appeared rattled, particularly by the vulnerabilities shown by their keeper, which had already led to a goal. Larne did not shy away from using their physicality, with De Barr among their targets, suffering four fouls in the first twenty minutes.
With 21 minutes gone, Lincoln saw an attempt come off the post. Ethan Britto forced a save with a header, and the rebound bounced off Joe, striking the post again. Lincoln didn’t have to wait long for the equalizer, though. A backheeled through ball from Britto was well taken by Kike, who slotted it past the keeper just moments later.
De Barr continued to be the target of harsh challenges, one of which led to a yellow card. The free kick was sent to De Barr, who was fouled again, this time closer to the penalty box. Kike then headed the ball well wide over the bar, giving Larne an opportunity for a quick counter.
As the match entered the final fifteen minutes of the first half, Larne tried to take control of possession. They forced a free kick at the very edge of the box after Munoz was unable to move away from a challenge, but the free kick sailed harmlessly over the crossbar. Lincoln was lucky not to see Larne capitalize on a couple of easily given-away free kicks.
De Barr, who had been the target of many fouls, received a yellow card for a late challenge on Larne’s captain, halfway up the field when there was no immediate danger.
Lincoln finished the first half on the front foot as Larne took a step back. A free kick floated into the box in the 41st minute was well met by Joe Martinez, who smashed the ball past the keeper from close range, giving Lincoln a crucial morale-boosting goal just before halftime. The fouls on De Barr continued, with Lincoln captain Lope questioning the referee on how many more were to be expected before he clamped down on players targeting his forward.
Larne started the second half with greater urgency, while Lincoln played more of a possession game. A mistake in the clearance of a long ball put Lincoln on the back foot, with Ayew forced to concede a corner. Fortunately, the delivery didn’t cause much danger. A floated ball back into the penalty area was then headed harmlessly over the bar.
Imprecise passing in the early minutes caused Lincoln more problems than Larne’s offense, as they easily gave the ball away. With nearly ten minutes of the second half played, there was little action from Kike, who looked absent alongside the energetic De Barr.
Britto received a yellow card after losing the ball and backtracking to stop what looked like a potential quick counter. Lincoln, protecting their lead, maintained their defensive posture rather than risking opening the game further. The Red and Blacks absorbed the early second-half pressure as the Northern Irish side increased their efforts.
Kike finally got his first touch of the second half as they neared the hour mark. However, his run down the flank ended with him being dispossessed before being tripped off the ball with no foul given. Moments later, Larne threatened Lincoln’s goal with a floated delivery from a free kick, which Santana punched clear, only for the ball to be immediately returned into the goalmouth and scrambled away by the defense.
Larne maintained momentum, but lackluster defending from Lincoln defenders risked allowing them through, though Larne was slow to capitalize. Kike was substituted in the 65th minute, with Villicanas coming on as Lincoln enjoyed some moments of possession.
A well-struck effort from Toni from distance forced Ferguson to make a great save. Britto, running from the left, was unable to keep the ball down as he struck the rebound over the bar from a tight angle. Villicanas added energy upfront with his first touches, causing concerns for Larne’s defense.
Sitting back and protecting their lead once again, Lincoln effectively slowed down the pace of the game when Larne had possession. Playing a safe passing game when in possession themselves, they ran down the clock while trying to find a route for a third goal.
Larne made their first substitution in the 73rd minute. McEneff’s first touch saw him take an early punt at goal from outside the box, which Santana collected with ease. He then set up the initial play that saw Lusty put Ryan through on goal, though the latter was judged to be offside as he rounded Santana and sent his attempt across the goal and wide past the far post.
Despite having players warming up, Javi Munoz, seeing his team in control of the game’s pace, delayed making further changes. Britto forced a good save from Ferguson in the 80th minute after winning a challenge at the halfway line and breaking free before sending a low-driven shot on goal.
It wasn’t until the final ten minutes that Munoz was replaced by Yahaya and Britto by Casciaro.
Five minutes of pressure from Larne saw few attempts on goal to trouble Santana. It was Lincoln who went on the offensive with good possession play, trying to force their way past Larne’s defense without sending too many players forward.
Javi Munoz made another change in the 87th minute, with Pozo coming on. Pozo earned Lincoln a free kick with his first action, but the floated ball was cleared by Larne’s defense for a throw-in as the Red and Blacks continued to prod at their defense.
The five minutes of injury time saw a somewhat chaotic exchange of play, with the game moving from one end to the other. Lincoln players called for a penalty at one end, while Larne wasted chances from a corner, sending the ball comfortably into the middle for Santana to collect.
Lincoln Red Imps had to defend in the final minute after a foul was given away. Ferguson took the free kick, but the defense cleared it. Lincoln Red Imps won the first leg of the Conference League play-off, their narrow one-goal lead now placing pressure on Larne, who will play in front of their home crowd next week.