Match Summary

Manuel Toledano scored a dramatic penalty in the 120th minute as the Imps completed a famous comeback against Larne at Inver Park to secure a place in the league phase of the UEFA Conference League.

Full Report

The Imps started the stronger of the two sides and had an early opportunity through Kike, whose effort was saved by Ronan Ferguson.

Alex Mula posed the main threat throughout the opening half, testing the Scottish goalkeeper on several occasions, but Ferguson was equal to everything the Imps threw at him.

Facundo Alvarez was introduced shortly after the restart, but it was the hosts who came closest to opening the scoring. A corner was delivered into the box and met by Tomas Cosgrove, whose header brought out a superb reflex save from Nauzet.

With the clock ticking towards the final stages, the Imps finally found the breakthrough in the 82nd minute.

Kike received a pass from Julliani, spun away from his marker and produced a moment of individual brilliance, curling an outstanding effort into the top corner to make it 1-0 on the night.

Just two minutes later, the comeback was complete.

Nano's corner was met by Toledano, who rose highest to head the ball past Ferguson from close range and level the tie on aggregate.

Larne were reduced to ten men in the 87th minute when second-half substitute Montel Gibson was shown a second yellow card for an elbow on Mandi.

Extra time followed, with the Imps knowing that one more goal would complete an extraordinary turnaround.

Then, in the 120th minute, came the moment.

Toledano was brought down inside the box by Chris Gallagher, leaving the referee with no hesitation in awarding a penalty.

With the pressure at its absolute peak, Toledano stepped up and showed remarkable composure, calmly placing his spot-kick into the top-right corner to complete his brace and put the Imps 3-0 ahead on the night.

The final whistle soon followed, sparking jubilant celebrations among the players and staff.

Redemption after the heartbreak of 2024 had finally arrived.

The Imps had overturned a two-goal first-leg deficit at Inver Park to secure a famous victory and, in doing so, booked their place in the UEFA Conference League league phase for a second consecutive season.

From heartbreak to history.