Larne booked their place in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League thanks to a penalty shoot-out victory away to FK Auda.
The game finished 2-2 after 120 minutes, with penalties needed to settle the tie, with the Invermen now facing Prishtina of Kosovo.
Larne trailed 1-0 at the break in Riga, thanks to Abdoul Traore’s 28th minute strike. Larne levelled the match five minutes into the second half thanks to Conor McKendry’s precise shot from outside the box five minutes into the second half.
The joy was short-lived however, and the homeside retook the lead just three minutes later, through Bolivian international Enzo Monteiro.
Nathan Rooney’s side were dogged and determined, though and some great work from substitute Dylan Sloan saw him cross for Paul O’Neill to nod into the net on 66 minutes.
Once the penalty shoot-out arrived, Rohan Ferguson saved the first spot kick from Kemehio Nguena and that gave Cricky Gallagher, Tiarnan O’Connor, Dan Bent and Paul O’Neill the opportunity to score and earn Larne a 4-2 victory on penalties, after Kemelho Nguena rattled the crossbar with the final penalty.
Larne now welcome Pristina to the Ballymena Showgrounds on Thursday 24th July, before travelling to the Kosovan capital a week later.
Auda: Ozols, Hrvoj (’89 Ogunji), Erquiaga, Clemente, Nguena, Traore (’65 Kenio), Eduardo, Varslavans, Meiniks, K Kone (HT Monteiro), Rubenis (’65 Gerold, ‘101 Jeudi)
Subs: Aleksandrovs, Abdul, Camara, IP Kone
Larne: Ferguson, Donnelly, Gallagher, McKendry (’78 Lusty, ‘105 O’Connor), Randall (’78 Magee), O’Neill, Graham, Nolan (’63 Ridley), McEneff (HT Sloan), Cosgrove (‘105 Kee), Bent
Subs: Graham, Hastings, Wallace, Simpson
Referee: Dmytro Kubriak (Ukraine)
