Summary

  • Coleraine 1-0 La Fiorita (Res)

  • James McLaughlin hits late winner for the Bannsiders

  • Aaron Jarvis has a goal ruled out for a foul in the build-up

  • Coleraine runners-up in 2019/20 Irish Premiership

  • Winners will play Maribor of Slovenia

  1. Until next timepublished at 21:29 British Summer Time 20 August 2020

    Coleraine 1-0 La Fiorita

    That's it all wrapped up from the Showgrounds tonight.

    Coleraine are into the first round of Europa League qualifiers where they will join Glentoran, who also won 1-0 at home tonight.

    We'll have highlights from both games up on the BBC Sport NI website shortly so keep an eye out!

    For now, have a good one.

  2. FULL-TIMEpublished at 21:20 British Summer Time 20 August 2020

    Coleraine 1-0 La Fiorita

    My goodness, what a way to finish a game.

    It wasn't the most exhilarating game we've ever seen but that goal, my word, that goal made the other 88 minutes worthwhile.

    A huge, huge win for Coleraine financially and emotionally, they now go into the first round of the Europa League qualifiers where Maribor await.

  3. goal

    GOALpublished at 21:15 British Summer Time 20 August 2020

    Coleraine 1-0 La Fiorita

    There it is! Good Lord is it worth the wait.

    James McLaughlin surely sends Coleraine into the first round of the Europa League qualifiers!

    Remember Dennis Bergkamp's goal against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup? Yeah, that touch. McLaughlin has done that.

    It's a long ball from Aaron Traynor and McLaughlin takes it down over the shoulder with the type of touch you and I can only dream of. He sets himself and fires it into the corner with his right foot.

    89th minute. A goal worthy of winning any game.

  4. Wasted deliveries from Colerainepublished at 21:10 British Summer Time 20 August 2020

    Coleraine 0-0 La Fiorita

    Coleraine have had two opportunities to deliver teasing balls into the box from free-kicks in the last few minutes, both have evaded everyone and gone straight out.

    Match practice has been hard to come by for these players in recent months so we should absolutely afford some leeway, but in a situation like this to not keep the ball in play is really poor.

  5. Disallowed goalpublished at 21:06 British Summer Time 20 August 2020

    Coleraine 0-0 La Fiorita

    About 15 minutes left give or take.

    Remember we play to a finish tonight so extra-time and penalties await if the deadlock remains unbroken. As has been the way throughout most of today, Coleraine have looked the more likely without hammering on the door.

    Here's a Coleraine corner which comes to the back post for Aaron Jarvis to head in! Celebrations, though, are short-lived with the ref's whistle sounding for a foul in the box.

  6. What a save!published at 20:56 British Summer Time 20 August 2020

    Coleraine 0-0 La Fiorita

    Holy moly, that's a brilliant reaction stop from Gianluca Vivan to keep out James McLaughlin.

    Stewart Nixon does well to wriggle into the box and gets his head up to slide it to McLaughlin on the edge of the area. The striker hits it well but Vivan is up on his toes to force the effort over the bar with a strong hand.

    Stephen McDonnell gets up for the resulting corner and heads just wide of the far post.

    It's a slow-burner, but signs that Coleraine are looking to grab this game by the scruff of the neck.

  7. On comes Bradleypublished at 20:51 British Summer Time 20 August 2020

    Coleraine 0-0 La Fiorita

    Eoin Bradley is brought on, and if he could have placed the ball anywhere he wanted to get going, he would have picked 25 yards out from goal with a bit of an angle for his left foot.

    That's exactly where Coleraine are awarded a free-kick and it is indeed Bradley standing over it, but it's a disappointing effort that isn't close to going over or under the wall.

  8. Two-way trafficpublished at 20:41 British Summer Time 20 August 2020

    Coleraine 0-0 La Fiorita

    They're not going to have it their own way though, and Lucio Peluso continues to be a thorn in the Coleraine side.

    He jinks down the right and his cross is too close to Gareth Deane, but the new Coleraine keeper takes his eyes off the ball and spills what should be a fairly regulation catch. Thankfully for Deane, the first man on the scene is Aaron Canning who clears without hesitation.

  9. Brighter Bannsider startpublished at 20:37 British Summer Time 20 August 2020

    Coleraine 0-0 La Fiorita

    Yup, Coleraine are committing more men forward and looking much more threatening as a result. Ben Doherty has sent a few delicious crosses into the box already, but none have connected yet.

    Much better though.

  10. Half-time subpublished at 20:32 British Summer Time 20 August 2020

    Coleraine 0-0 La Fiorita

    Like for like switch from Oran Kearney with Stewart Nixon on to replace Josh Carson, who was booked early in that first half.

    We are back underway at the Showgrounds, Coleraine were most successful in the first half when they made use of the space out wide, lets see if the full backs have been instructed to get forward more regularly.

  11. Allen goes close for the hostspublished at 20:18 British Summer Time 20 August 2020

    Coleraine 0-0 La Fiorita

    One of Coleraine's best chances of the half fell to Curtis Allen after a lovely ball from Ben Doherty.

    Not the strike Allen would have wanted though, he's buried them from that position many times during his career.

    Media caption,

    Curtis Allen goes close for the Bannsiders

  12. HALF-TIMEpublished at 20:16 British Summer Time 20 August 2020

    Coleraine 0-0 La Fiorita

    There was definitely a few minutes worth of stoppages in that half but the ref is having none of it. 45 minutes on the clock, he blows for half-time straight away.

    La Fiorita will be happier with that, although Coleraine have probably shaded the better chances of a cagey half.

    Very much in the balance.

  13. Let off for Colerainepublished at 20:15 British Summer Time 20 August 2020

    Coleraine 0-0 La Fiorita

    Ooh I'll tell you what, that's as close as we have come to an opener and it comes from La Fiorita.

    Armanda Amati gets the ball just inside the area and whips a cross/shot to the back post, where captain Danilo Rinaldi stretches out a leg and comes a whisker away from making contact.

    Being two yards out from goal, any contact there would have given the visitors a one goal lead.

    We're nearly at half-time here, Oran Kearney won't be livid by any means with what he has seen but he will want to make some adjustments, with La Fiorita enjoying a bit too much space in the final third.

  14. No love lostpublished at 20:08 British Summer Time 20 August 2020

    Coleraine 0-0 La Fiorita

    La Fiorita have some nifty attacking players. Lucio Peluso has looked tricky on the ball but has already attracted the ire of Aaron Canning, Aaron Traynor and Stephen O'Donnell for what they believe to be play-acting on the part of the Italian.

    There have been a few bookings but thankfully the referee is not up for stopping this game every time a player goes down, it's edgy enough so far.

  15. Carson goes closepublished at 19:53 British Summer Time 20 August 2020

    Coleraine 0-0 La Fiorita

    Much, much better from the hosts now.

    Aaron Traynor gets forward on the left for the first time tonight and delivers a lovely whipped cross which reaches Josh Carson at the back post. He takes it down and drills it low, forcing Gianluca Vivan into a smart save.

  16. Coleraine start to pushpublished at 19:50 British Summer Time 20 August 2020

    Coleraine 0-0 La Fiorita

    First shots of the match registered as Coleraine begin to settle themselves.

    Curtis Allen is first from the corner of the box but he doesn't strike the ball with the inside of his foot as he would have liked.

    A minute later it's a much better strike from Ben Doherty who aims to arrow the ball into the far corner from 25 yards. No cigar this time, but not far away.

  17. Early bookingspublished at 19:44 British Summer Time 20 August 2020

    Coleraine 0-0 La Fiorita

    Deary me, Josh Carson gets involved in a silly bit of handbags in the box and get himself booked after 10 minutes.

    This is after Curtis Allen and Marco Brighi were spoken to for getting too familiar as they jostled for position at a corner. Then Aaron Traynor gets himself booked for a poor challenge.

    No fans in the ground, but plenty of noise coming from the men on the pitch at the moment. Feisty stuff.

  18. Visitors start wellpublished at 19:36 British Summer Time 20 August 2020

    Coleraine 0-0 La Fiorita

    The purists among you may be slightly irked by the fact that Coleraine are wearing their away kit at home. I for one am slightly irked.

    No matter, La Fiorita have started the brighter with two early corners. Although neither of which resulted in anything close to troubling Gareth Deane.

  19. Kick-offpublished at 19:30 British Summer Time 20 August 2020

    Coleraine 0-0 La Fiorita

    So what do we know about La Fiorita? Well, honestly not a lot.

    Oran Kearney said as much this week, with the Sammarinese side's 2017 meeting with Linfield some of the only footage they could get their hands on.

    Only two players from that squad are still part of the the La Fiorita set-up tonight.

    We are underway at the Showgrounds.

  20. Team newspublished at 19:17 British Summer Time 20 August 2020

    Gareth Deane makes his Coleraine debut having swapped places with Chris Johns, who has already made his European bow for new club Linfield.

    Aside from that it's a typically settled Coleraine team. Curtis Allen is now a fully-fledged Bannsider having made his move from Glentoran a permanent affair and he partners James McLaughlin up front in what has the potential to be a prolific strike partnership.

    Coleraine: Deane, Kane, Canning, O'Donnell (c), Traynor, Carson, Lowry, Jarvis, Doherty, McLaughlin, Allen.

    Subs: Gallagher, Douglas, Bradley, Tweed, Parkhill, Nixon, McGuckin.