In a tightly contested Europa League play-off tie, Larne and Iberia 1999 of Georgia drew 0-0 at Inver Park on Tuesday night. The match, which was part of the third qualifying round, saw Gary Haveron's Northern Irish champions put up a valiant effort but were unable to find the back of the net in front of their home support.
The Inver Reds, who are currently the reigning champions of Northern Ireland, faced tough competition from Iberia 1999. The Georgian side came into the match with high hopes, and they managed to frustrate Larne throughout the 90 minutes. Despite numerous chances and a strong home crowd, Larne could not find the breakthrough that would have secured their passage to the next round.
The first leg ended in a goalless draw, which means the second leg will be decisive. The Inver Reds now travel to Tbilisi for this crucial match on Tuesday, September 5th. The winner of this tie will progress and face either Rangers or Jagellonia Bialystock of Poland in the next round of the Europa League.
Manager Gary Haveron expressed his disappointment after the game: 'We put in a good performance but just couldn’t find that crucial goal. We’ll need to regroup quickly for the second leg, where we have to come out on top if we want to progress.'
The match was watched by many supporters who came out in force to support their team. However, it was not enough as both teams settled for a clean sheet and a 0-0 draw.
For Iberia 1999, the result is encouraging as they now have the advantage of playing at home in the second leg. Manager Nikoloz Kakhishvili said: 'We are happy with the result tonight. We knew it would be tough but we managed to hold Larne and will look to take a clean sheet back to Georgia for next Tuesday.'
