Linfield’s herebreak. What a devastating blow to the Blues and what an end to their European dream.
We were seconds away from making history and qualifying for the group stage of the European Conference League, but it was gone in the blink of an eye. Glory, fame, honor, £2.5m all gone. So close, yet so far away.
Football can be brutal and this loss on penalties to Latvia’s RFS will be unacceptable for David Healy’s side, who deserve a lot after dominant play.
Linfield created many chances but missed them until Kyle McLean scored a cool finish in extra time.
In the final seconds, the home team had a chance to kill the tie outright with three players up front against one defender. Substitute Cameron Palmer’s shot was saved and in the 120th minute RFS came up the other side and scored on Jimmy Carracher’s own goal after trying to clear a left-sided cross.
The club stalwart looked inconsolable as he left the pitch after Linfield’s penalty shootout as he left the pitch after losing 4-2 with a spot-kick in the death-quiet bar at Windsor Park. It looked like There was a thunderous feel to most of what promised to be a big night for Blues and Irish League football.
The shootout required Matthew Clarke to wait for the ball, but the penalty was saved. Then Ethan Devine missed. The Blues Etu He Vertinen and McLean netted from his 12 yards but by then no damage had been done and the RFS scored all four of his goals from the spot to seal the group stage of the European Conference League. I entered the lottery.
Officially, the result is listed as Linfield 3 RFS 3 on aggregate, with the Latvian claiming a 4-2 penalty shootout victory, but Blues boss Healy, his players and fans are all over it. You know you shouldn’t have reached the point.
Linfield led 2-0 in the first leg before drawing 2-2 in the second half.
Carachar, who came in during the break, had the misfortune of his clearance crashing into the underside of the bar and crossing the line, but when Linfield missed a glorious shot in extra time, the usual time or seconds was lost. A draw had been made before and should have dusted off. Opportunity on the other side.
Linfield’s trip to Europe began in dramatic fashion last month when Ethan Devine’s extra-time winner took on Welsh team TNS in the Champions League following Jamie Mulgrew’s stunning injury-time strike. I got
In the meantime there have been losses against Bodo/Glimt and Zurich. Out in 8 games.
Fortune did not endorse the brave way Linfield played against RFS in one of the biggest matches in the club’s illustrious history.
Before kick-off, the song “Heroes” was played on the public address system. After that, all Linfield players played the same way. It was a great display with everything but goals until McLean’s shot in the 104th minute.
McLean’s face was filled with joy when it hit the net. This was a young midfielder who fought back from a serious injury and it was here that he considered one of the club’s most famous goals.
Healy’s team put on a show and the club seemed to be on track. This guaranteed him £2.5m to qualify for the group stage, but it all went wrong.
Sam Roscoe had some great chances in the first half and Robbie McDade came close twice. Something must have been given in the second period as McDade came close again and Kirk Miller slammed in dangerous cross after dangerous cross.
Ethan Devine nearly defeated RFS, Bartainen followed suit, and Karacher hit the post in stoppage time. A few inches away.
On another occasion, Chris Johns made a spectacular save as Emerson Santana cleared the streak.
Tensions mounted in extra time, as did the noise when McLean finally opened the scoring.
Going into the final minutes, Linfield was mostly there, but not for them or the Irish League. No history this time.
Such a disappointment for Healy, who dominated the domestic scene as a boss and hoped for a crack in the European group stage.
A tragedy for his team who worked so hard to get closer to Dreamland, and a complete disappointment for fans who were within seconds of Dreamland.
The sad reality is that there will be no more European football for Linfield this season. They will face Carrick Rangers in the Irish League on Sunday.
