There are nights in football that linger long after the final whistle, and Thursday's Conference League play-off tie in Northern Ireland was very much one of them. Gary Haveron's Larne had been in firm control for the better part of two legs, only to be undone in the most gut-wrenching fashion imaginable — conceding twice in two minutes in normal time before a last-gasp extra-time penalty ended their continental adventure entirely.

The Irish League champions had travelled to Gibraltar for the first leg and come away with a thoroughly creditable 2-0 victory, putting themselves in a commanding position ahead of the return. For 82 minutes of the second leg, that advantage held firm. Scoreless on the night, the Invermen looked set for the Conference League league phase for the second time in three years — a remarkable achievement for a club still finding their footing on the European stage.

Then it all unravelled, with brutal and bewildering speed.

Kike Gomez cut inside from the left and bent in what Haveron himself conceded was "an absolute wonder goal" to pull one back on the night and level the tie on aggregate. Within minutes, Manu Toledano added a second, and suddenly Larne — the side that had looked so measured and composed — found themselves vulnerable and exposed at exactly the wrong moment. A second yellow card for Montel Gibson, which Haveron described as "really harsh", did not help matters, though he accepted his player gave the referee a decision to make.

Penalties appeared to offer Larne a lifeline as extra-time wore on without a further goal. But Chris Gallagher conceded a penalty in the final minute of additional time, and Toledano stepped up to complete his brace and seal one of the more stunning turnarounds in recent Irish League European history. Larne were out.

"I think that's what ultimately the feeling is, heartbreaking," Haveron told BBC Sport NI. "So disappointed in that because for 82 minutes I thought we were absolutely brilliant."

The Larne manager was not without his grievances on the night. He pointed to what he felt was a clear handball by Lopez on the edge of the box in the build-up to the first Red Imps goal, arguing the foul should have been given before the visitors broke and converted. At this level, he noted, those margins matter enormously.

"That's the small margins at this level and they haven't gone our way tonight," he said, with the quiet resignation of a man who knows exactly how fine the line is between progress and elimination in European football's qualifying rounds.

Yet even in his disappointment, Haveron was keen to credit his players. He acknowledged the team's game management had not been what it needed to be in those crucial closing minutes, but insisted they could not have shown more commitment or endeavour across the tie as a whole. He was, he said, "incredibly proud" of their efforts — and equally disappointed for the wider Irish League, which he views as a genuine stakeholder in how Northern Irish clubs perform in Europe.

"I'm disappointed for the league as much as I am disappointed for us tonight," he reflected. "We desperately wanted to secure it for them and for long periods it looked like we were going to, but that wasn't to be."

It is the kind of elimination that will sting for weeks. Larne had done the hard work in Gibraltar, managed proceedings well at home and were minutes away from another memorable European campaign. What they — and everyone who follows Irish League football — are left with instead is the hollow feeling of what might have been.

Frequently asked

Why did Larne get knocked out of the Conference League?
Larne were eliminated after Lincoln Red Imps scored twice in two minutes late in normal time to level the tie at 2-2 on aggregate, then converted a penalty in the final minute of extra-time to win 3-2 on aggregate.
Who scored for Lincoln Red Imps to knock out Larne?
Kike Gomez scored a long-range goal to start the comeback, and Manu Toledano added two goals — one in normal time and the decisive penalty in extra-time — to send Red Imps through.
Have Larne been in the Conference League league phase before?
Yes. Larne have previously reached the Conference League league phase, and had been aiming to do so for a second time in three years before Thursday's elimination.