RFS v Larne (18:00 BST)
RFS 3-0 Larne
A less-than ideal evening for Tiernan Lynch's men as they fall to a three goal defeat in the Latvian capital. This tie is not completely out of reach but they will have a sizeable mountain to climb at Inver Park next week.
RFS 3-0 Larne
We are into three added minutes at the end of this game. Can Larne get something to cling to in next week's second leg?
RFS 3-0 Larne
The game is meandering to a close with Viktors Morosz emptying his bench. One of those subs, Darko Lemajic tests Rohan Ferguson but the Scottish stopper is equal to it.
Meanwhile, Paul O'Neill is on for a frustrated Andy Ryan on 87 minutes. The Scottish striker cut a peripheral figure all evening.
RFS 3-0 Larne
Ten minutes to go here in Riga and Tiernan Lynch is looking frustrated and forlorn. A goal now for his side could be crucial going into next week's second leg at Inver Park.
RFS 3-0 Larne
Sean Graham has been lively since his introduction and he is almost body-checked back into the dugout by RFS replacement Cedric Kouadio who picks up a card for his troubles.
RFS 3-0 Larne
Conor McKendry is off for Larne and is replaced by Matty Lusty, who has just signed a new three-year deal at the club after a fabulous loan spell at Dungannon Swifts last season
RFS 3-0 Larne
A rendition of "Stand up for the champions" rings out from the sizeable travelling support here at LNK Sporta Parks. They have had a disappointing evening to say the least but they are still in fine voice.
RFS 3-0 Larne
Tiernan Lynch reacts to that third goal by bringing on Joe Thomson and Sean Graham in place of Dylan Sloan and Baris Altintop.
Stefan Panic - 58mins
Serbian midfielder Panic duly dispatches the free-kick with aplomb. An absolutely textbook strike that has this game and this tie rapidly getting away from Larne.
RFS 2-0 Larne
Cian Bolger is shown a card after his heavy touch forces him to bring down Ismael Diomande on the edge of the box. A dangerous free-kick for RFS...
RFS 2-0 Larne
Conor McKendry has looked dangerous tonight and attempts an immediate riposte for his side but his effort from the edge of the box flashes just wide.
Daniels Balodis - 49mins
Once again, it is a set piece that is the undoing of Larne. Petr Mares' out-swinging delivery is flicked on by Stefan Panic and Balodis sneaks around to the back post to nod home. Disastrous start to the second half for Larne.
RFS 1-0 Larne
The hosts start the second much like they ended the first and a Levi Ives block is required after Ismael Diomande is picked out in the box by Janis Ikaunieks.
RFS 1-0 Larne
We are back underway in Riga.
RFS 1-0 Larne
A scrappy ending to a first half where Larne have been under the cosh and find themselves a goal down. They must get more forward momentum in the second half or risk this tie getting away from them.
RFS 1-0 Larne
A first yellow of the night for the hosts as Janis Ikaunieks' busy first half continues as he slides in on Dylan Sloan right in front of referee Ondrej Berka.
RFS 1-0 Larne
We are into five added minutes at the end of the first half. We have had a VAR delay as well as some treatment for RFS defender Herdi Prenga. Can Larne get a foothold in this game before the break?
RFS 1-0 Larne
A second booking in a matter of minutes for the visitors as Aaron Donnelly is carded for cynically stopping Ikaunieks as RFS try to counter from a promising Larne attack that came to nothing.
RFS 1-0 Larne
Having been warned earlier, Baris Altintop is the first man to be cautioned on 38 minutes as he trips a rampaging Ismael Diomande.
RFS 1-0 Larne
The Inver Reds will be looking to calm things down as Dylan Sloan is pick-pocketed by Adam Markhiev on the edge of the box but Baris Altintop recovers well to block Emerson's effort.
Larne will take a 3-0 deficit into next week's second-leg at Inver Park
Larne fell 3-0 away to Latvian champions RFS in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League first qualifying round tie.
RFS had a goal disallowed on ten minutes before Martins Kigurs gave them the lead just before the half-hour mark.
An early second-half header from Martins Balodis and a stunning Stefan Panic free-kick condemned the Inver Reds to a heavy defeat in Latvia.
The Irish Premiership champions will now face an uphill battle in the second leg at Inver Park next Wednesday.
On a hot and sunny evening in Riga, Larne had the first chance of the game after just two minutes when Conor McKendry let loose with a shot from the edge of the box that was comfortably saved by Fabrice Oanda in the RFS goal.
However, they soon found themselves on the back foot and the hosts had the ball in the net on ten minutes when Janis Ikaunieks snaffled up a rebound after Rohan Ferguson had saved well from Ziga Lipuscek’s header. VAR, though, ruled that Lipuscek had strayed offside by the thinnest of margins and the goal was chalked off.
Larne were relieved as they had not defended the free-kick well and had Ferguson to thank for smothering Marins Kigurs’ close-range effort shortly after.
The Latvian international could not be stopped just before the half-hour mark, however.
Shortly after Lee Bonis had headed over from a corner, Kigurs was picked out from the left by Ikaunieks and swept home unmarked on the penalty spot. There was nothing that could rule this one out and RFS had a deserved lead.
After a scrappy end to the first half, the hosts came out after the break in the ascendancy again and dealt Larne a hammer blow just three minutes after the restart. It was a set piece again that was the Inver Reds’ undoing as Petr Mares’ corner was flicked on by Stefan Panic and Daniels Balodis crept round the back to nod home unmarked.
After McKendry fizzed a shot wide in response, Cian Bolger conceded a clumsy free-kick right on the edge of his own box and he was made to pay. Panic stepped up and dispatched the ball into the top corner with a textbook strike.
Larne battled to gain any sort of foothold in the game and were struggling in the heat against an in-form RFS side who currently sit seven points clear at the top of the Virsliga table with this result meaning they have won eleven and drawn one of their past twelve games.
Despite Tiernan Lynch making attacking changes, there was very little in the way of threat from the back-to-back Irish Premiership champions and they will need a huge result back at Inver Park next week if they want their UEFA Champions League journey to continue beyond the first hurdle.
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 16 |
| |
| 2 | København | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
|
| 3 | Galatasaray | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 13 | -3 | 5 |
|
| 4 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 15 | -3 | 4 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 4 | 12 | 13 |
| |
| 2 | PSV | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 10 | -2 | 9 |
|
| 3 | Lens | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 11 | -5 | 8 |
|
| 4 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 12 | -5 | 2 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 18 |
| |
| 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 10 |
| |
| 3 | Sporting Braga | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 12 | -6 | 4 |
|
| 4 | Union Berlin | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 | -4 | 2 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 12 |
| |
| 2 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 12 |
| |
| 3 | Benfica | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 11 | -4 | 4 |
|
| 4 | Red Bull Salzburg | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 8 | -4 | 4 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 6 | 11 | 14 |
| |
| 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| |
| 3 | Feyenoord | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 10 | -1 | 6 |
|
| 4 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 15 | -10 | 4 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| |
| 2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 8 |
| |
| 3 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 8 | -3 | 8 |
| |
| 4 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 7 | -1 | 5 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 7 | 11 | 18 |
| |
| 2 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 12 |
| |
| 3 | Young Boys | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 13 | -6 | 4 |
|
| 4 | Red Star Belgrade | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 15 | -8 | 1 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 12 |
| |
| 2 | Porto | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 12 |
|
| 3 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 12 | -2 | 9 |
|
| 4 | Antwerp | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 17 | -11 | 3 |
|
Manager: Vladimirs Zavoronkovs
Formation: 3 - 4 - 3
Manager: Tiernan Lynch
Formation: 4 - 3 - 3
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