Larne’s hopes of first European point shattered by St Gallenpublished at 07:36 Greenwich Mean Time
Larne 1-2 St Gallen
Hugo Vandermersch scored a 79th-minute winner to shatter Larne’s dreams of making more European history as St Gallen ran out 2-1 winners at Windsor Park.
After losses to Molde and Shamrock Rovers in the European Conference League, there was hope that Larne could collect a first point or win in Europe when Abdoulaye Diaby turned into his own net in the third minute.
The opener provided the loudest cheers of the night from the home support as the Larne players celebrated, but reality soon hit as the Swiss Super League side started to show their class.
St Gallen, who had a goal disallowed moments before Larne’s opener, got a deserved equaliser when captain Lukas Gortler fired a superb volley beyond Rohan Ferguson in the 29th minute.
Larne, the first Irish Premiership team to reach this stage of European competition, held their own against the Swiss side but the decisive moment came with 11 minutes to play when Vandermersch smashed the ball home from close range after a counter attack.
It was a heartbreaking result for Larne, who remain bottom of the Conference League after three defeats, while St Gallen picked up their first win in this season’s competition.
