Ten-man Lincoln Red Imps beaten by Larne in first leg of play-offs

Lincoln Red Imps 0-2 Larne
First leg playoff
Conference League
Europa Sports Stadium

There was an additional Gibraltarian flavour to Lincoln Red Imps’ first-leg play-off against Larne. The presence of Dan Bent, the former Lincoln Red Imps player and Gibraltar international now playing for Larne, added to the presence of Gibraltar players on the field.

It was not the first time the two sides had met in the competition, with Larne able to look back on their victory in the 2024 campaign.

Lincoln had, however, since then qualified for the league stage of the competition for a second time and were looking to make it three.

This time, the match was being played in Gibraltar, although the Larne fans were few and far between.

A tense start saw both sides testing each other’s defences early, with the visitors showing they were not here simply to defend.

With some rain having fallen on Thursday, temperatures were not as high as on previous days, although they were still relatively high for summer.

Lincoln were to produce the first two clear chances after six minutes of play, with a last-minute block from a defender on the line stopping an attempt from Toledano following a corner delivery.

Larne had been forced to block an initial shot at goal to concede the corner.

Increasing their tempo as they pushed Larne back, Lincoln piled on the pressure early on, with Dan Bent in the thick of the action supporting the central defence.

Larne were to get their first corner after nine minutes of play.

In the 12th minute, a foul on Joe was to give Lincoln a chance to test Larne with a free kick from close to the top of the box.

Nano’s curled attempt forced the Larne keeper to need a second attempt to collect the ball after initially blocking it at the far post.

The referee was jeered moments later after a blatant back pass was picked up by the Larne keeper. The ball was judged to have come off the knee.

A trip on Toledano provided Lincoln with another free kick. The chance was wasted with a quick pass to Falhli catching the player wrong-footed.

With 20 minutes played, it was Larne claiming for a penalty as Bent toppled under a heavy challenge.

With the contest becoming more physical, Toledano was the first to receive a booking, ironically having lunged at Bent on a 50-50 ball.

A more energetic approach to the match than in previous rounds saw Mula next with an attempt that went wide after 21 minutes.

The relaxing moments under the cool morning breeze at the Eliott Hotel that the Larne players had enjoyed earlier that day were now a distant memory as the intensity of the match increased under the early-evening summer heat.

An off-the-ball incident in the 26th minute saw tensions boil over, with yellow cards shown to both Graham and Falhli. A check on the VAR screen by the referee saw Falhli’s yellow card changed to a red, leaving Lincoln down to 10 men with less than a third of the match played.

Lincoln responded by attacking Larne’s goal, with claims for a foul going against the home side.

There was little change to Lincoln’s formation immediately after the red card. Falhli, who had been playing primarily down the right wing, had not impacted the defensive posture of the team, although his dismissal reduced their effectiveness going forward.

Undeterred by going down to 10 men, Lincoln continued to keep Larne from testing Hankin. The keeper was sent crashing to the ground during a clearance outside his penalty box following a late challenge in the 35th minute. This was the closest he had come to any action other than pass-backs.

It was the Larne keeper who had to stay alert in the 37th minute after a good move from the back through Esterling put Pinto through. The final finish, however, lacked any real power.

Esterling and Mula were again to threaten Larne, forcing a corner as the ball was whipped into the goalmouth.

Larne’s first real threat at Hankin’s goal came in the 43rd minute, although it ended with a yellow card for Lusty for a dangerous challenge.

Lincoln’s dominance in the first half did not produce any goals, leaving the home side facing the second half with just 10 men.

The Northern Ireland side opened the second half attacking Lincoln Red Imps and winning a corner within a minute of play.

Hankin was tested for the first time with a shot from outside the penalty area just a minute later as Lincoln found themselves penned back.

The home side took some time to settle down and advance their lines, attacking the Larne defence on the counter.

Pavon guided his players from the touchline with some intensity.

In the 53rd minute, a mistake in defence which saw Larne go forward two against one gave Nani the chance to come to the aid of Rutjens, who had been left alone. The veteran Lincoln player made a timely intervention to prevent the shot from getting through.

Lincoln were to make their first change in the 55th minute, with Alvaro Romero coming on for Mula. Alvaro had to wait a minute, however, due to a delay in Mula going off and the new rules preventing Romero from entering the pitch.

This saw Lincoln momentarily reduced to nine players. Larne took advantage and broke quickly, forcing a great save from Hankin at the near post.

Again, in the 58th minute, another timely intervention by Nano blocked a shot from Sloan.

Hankin was to do well moments later, gathering at the far post from the subsequent corner.

As they passed the hour mark, it was the visitors on the front foot as Lincoln struggled to find a way forward offensively.

Pavon, with four Gibraltar internationals on the bench, all with ample international and European experience, continued to rely on his 11 players on the field. Only two of them were home-grown players, among them Torrilla, Britto and Jolley.

Also on the bench was Kike, who has years of experience in European football with Lincoln.

Torrilla was to make his way onto the pitch in the 67th minute, with Kike and Cardozo also coming on and adding some additional experience to the field.

Larne were also to make changes as the minutes ticked away with the score still goalless.

Torrilla was soon in the thick of things in his usual defensive midfield role, although he was booked just seconds after stretching for a pass from Kike.

McEneff was also to get a yellow for a similar foul, having only just come on.

Lincoln Red Imps started seeing more of the ball going forward, pushing Larne deeper into their own half.

Esterling produced a determined run from deep which saw him race to the edge of the box before he was stopped as Lincoln threatened more with the final quarter of an hour approaching.

Now starting to feel the effects of being down to 10 men, Lincoln were nevertheless producing a valiant effort to try to grab a winning goal to take into the second leg.

Lopes’ consistent presence at the back settled the nerves as the defence handled Larne’s attempts to move forward.

Hankin was to produce a good stop in the 80th minute from a shot by McKendry.

With just eight minutes left on the clock, Aly Coulibaly, Lincoln’s latest signing, was to make his debut.

Larne were to make the breakthrough with a typical British long-ball move which saw O’Neill head them into the lead from a long pass to the byline that was flicked back to the substitute, who had just come on.

The goal in the 85th minute was a huge blow for Lincoln after battling for most of the match with just 10 men, with the second leg still to be played in Northern Ireland.

Slow to track back, Lincoln were beginning to feel the effects of going behind at such a late stage. Stretching their lines when going forward in search of the equaliser and having to quickly track back, the home side began to opt for a more defensive role rather than risk conceding further as they entered the final minutes.

Hankin was to show some excellent goalkeeping, holding his position well as Larne broke through and making a timely intervention to block for a corner when Larne looked certain to double their lead.

Four minutes of injury time were given and Lincoln tried to pack the goalmouth for one of Nano’s long throws. It was to prove a mistake as Larne cleared their lines, leaving Lincoln with two defenders against three attackers.

O’Hara beat Hankin, with the latter having little he could do.

Larne take a 2-0 away win into the second leg and look favourites to repeat their knockout of Lincoln Red Imps at the play-off stage of the Conference League.