Former Bayern Munich midfielder strikes as Larne denied maiden UEFA Conference League point late on in St Gallen defeat

Tiernan Lynch’s side endured a rollercoaster of emotions at the start of their third European fixture as Kevin Csoboth appeared to have handed the visitors a lead after only two minutes, but it was ruled offside and moments later Jordan McEneff’s cross was turned into his own net by Abdoulaye Diaby.

However, with the early goal came added St Gallen pressure and the Inver Reds defence was unlocked in the 29th minute when Chima Okoroji’s stunning pass was empathically volleyed home by captain Lukas Gortler.

It was another piece of quality from the Swiss that put them ahead in the 79th minute as French full-back Hugo Vandermersch finished off a sweeping counter-attack after being set up by substitute Christian Witzig.

The defeat is a bitter blow for Larne, who would have received a further €133,000 on top of their €3,170,000 base fee for qualifying, with Lynch’s men coming close to creating further Irish League history by picking up a first point in Europe.

This was undoubtedly a much-improved performance from the showing against Shamrock Rovers last month and their next chance to take the dream step will come with a trip to Slovenian outfit Olimpija Ljubljana on November 28.

After Diaby’s early own goal – the Mali international forced into making a decision with the threat of McEneff’s cross along the ground – Larne gained confidence and Andy Ryan almost pounced on a defensive mistake which would have seen him running clear through.

If there’s such thing as scoring too early, Larne may have been feeling that as St Gallen grew into the game, bossing possession and the first sign of danger came when Mihalio Stevanovic sent a powerful effort straight at Rohan Ferguson after a corner had been cleared into his path.

The hosts had a rare sight on goal in the 25th minute after Dylan Sloan won his side a free-kick but Ryan couldn’t generate enough power into a header to trouble goalkeeper Lawrence Alt-Zigi, who has played 26 times for Ghana.

Larne defended valiantly to fend off St Gallen’s repeated attacks and set-pieces, but a wonder pass from Okoroji unpicked the lock and former Bayern Munich midfielder Gortler made no mistake from close range, firing accurately across goal with textbook technique.

Levi Ives became the first player into referee Ishmael Barbara’s book minutes before half-time as he halted Vandermersch from latching onto a return pass which would have undoubtedly provided the Swiss with an opportunity.

Ferguson was forced into an early save after the break as DR Congo international Chadrac Akolo’s free-kick was palmed to safety following good play from Willem Geubbels, who previously enjoyed spells in France’s top-flight with Lyon, Monaco and Nantes.

St Gallen had a golden chance to take the lead just before the hour mark when Bastien Toma’s corner found Diaby in space, but he couldn’t make the required contact to trouble Ferguson.

There was almost a calamitous mix-up between Ferguson and Cian Bolger with the shot-stopper failing to collect what seemed a routine ball before his skipper denied Geubbels pouncing.

The visitors eventually completed their comeback in the 79th minute with Vandermersch smashing home from close range despite the best efforts of Bolger on the line – a strike which ended St Gallen’s eight-game winless run.