Red Star Belgrade secured a dominant victory against Larne at Inver Park in a Champions League qualifying match. The Serbian side scored four goals, with Bruno Duarte contributing two, to establish a strong position in the two-legged affair.
The match saw Red Star maintain control for much of the game, although Larne’s defence initially held firm against their attacking pressure. The breakthrough came after a VAR intervention, leading to a penalty for Red Star.
First Half Action and Penalty Opener
Larne’s defenders faced a challenging night against Red Star’s attackers, managing to limit opportunities in the early stages of the first half. However, the deadlock was broken in the 26th minute after a VAR review.
Following a look at the monitor, referee Rares George Vidican awarded a penalty after deeming that Tomas Cosgrove had handled the ball. Bruno Duarte converted the spot-kick, sending Rohan Ferguson the wrong way and placing the ball into the bottom right-hand corner.
Despite Red Star’s continued dominance in possession and attacking play, they were unable to find a second goal from open play before the half-time whistle, as Larne’s defence remained resilient.
Second Half Goals Extend Lead
The second half saw Red Star extend their lead. Approximately 10 minutes into the second period, Kostov doubled Red Star’s advantage. This goal followed a move down the right-hand side, initiated by substitute Osman Bukari.
Just 12 minutes later, Bruno Duarte scored his second goal of the match, finding the bottom right-hand corner after another attacking play by Red Star. This further solidified their lead and control over the game.
Substitute Cham added a fourth goal for Red Star in the 85th minute. His strike from the edge of the box, which found the top right-hand corner, was described as a highlight of the match.
Historical Context and Future Opponents
The match at Inver Park also had a historical connection, with former Irish League manager Ronnie McFall invited as a guest by Larne. McFall had previously managed against Red Star Belgrade 35 years ago when he was in charge of Portadown in the same competition.
During that encounter in 1991, Portadown lost both legs 4-0 to Red Star, who had been crowned European champions just a year prior after defeating Marseille on penalties. Red Star’s squad at that time included notable players such as Darko Pančev and Siniša Mihajlović, with Robert Prosinečki having moved to Real Madrid a few months earlier.
Larne boss Gary Haveron stated that McFall was invited as a mark of respect for his achievements in the game. The invitation was facilitated by Keith O’Hara, a former Portadown player and current Larne technical director.
The winners of this two-legged tie will advance to face either Vikingur Reykjavik from Iceland or Hapoel Beer-Shava from Israel in the third qualifying round of the Champions League. Should Larne be eliminated, they would then play the losers of the match between FC Iberia 1999 Tbilisi of Georgia and Slovan Bratislava of Slovakia in the third qualifying round of the Europa League.
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Source: bbc.com
