Glentoran striker Pat Hoban believes “commanding figure” Zeno Ibsen Rossi can make a big impact at The Oval after marking his debut by scoring against RFS – and insists his side are “more than capable” of turning their European tie around in Latvia.

Former Bournemouth and Cambridge United centre-back Rossi scored the opener for Declan Devine’s men last week – just a matter of hours on from being announced as a new Glens player – before the East Belfast outfit ultimately lost out 2-1.

Rossi, who also enjoyed loan spells in Scotland with Dundee and Kilmarnock, is a towering presence and wasted no time in showing his aerial prowess by rising highest to head home from Ryan Cooney’s corner.

The 25-year-old is one of three new arrivals at Glentoran so far this summer alongside midfielder Greg Sloggett and Northern Ireland U19 winger Rhys Walsh, and Hoban is confident the trio can all make their mark.

placeholder image — Zeno Ibsen Rossi celebrates scoring on Glentoran debut. (Photo by Andrew McCarroll/Pacemaker Press)

"You can't ask for much more than to grab a goal on your debut for the club," said Hoban. "It was a super header to put us in front and he was so unlucky not to get another as he had a couple more chances in the game.

"He's obviously a threat in the opposition area given his height and aerial ability, but he was also impressive at the other end.

"He is a real commanding figure, he's strong and he is good on the ball which is a great combination for any defender to have.

"I know as a striker it's tough when you come up against a physically imposing defender and one that is also comfortable on the ball and never gets flustered when put under pressure.

"You could see the other night the impact he made for us and that will only improve the more games he plays with us.

"Zeno is a fantastic addition along with Greg and Rhys, and they will all be very important players for us throughout the season."

Glentoran will enter their first qualifying round second-leg in Riga as underdogs against a team which has qualified for both the Europa League and Conference League in recent years.

RFS currently sit top of the league, conceding just eight goals in 11 home matches, but Hoban insists the Glens travel with belief of causing an upset.

"Obviously we would have preferred not to be behind after the first leg, but our objective was always to make sure that the tie was still very much alive going to Riga and that is certainly the case," he added. "On another night we could have been coming away with an advantage or at least level, but unfortunately it just wasn't to be.

"That doesn't mean it's game over though, it's very much all to play for and now we know a bit more about them too which will also help us.

"They are obviously a decent side with players who can hurt you if you let them play, but I think we stood up well to what they threw at us and I don't think we were really under the cosh at any particular time.

"We certainly asked a lot of questions of them too and were unfortunate not to score more than once on the night.

"Our set-pieces caused them a few problems and big Zeno certainly showed he's a real threat aerially.

"So there's a lot to be positive about going into the second leg plus we will have another week's training under our belts too.

"The key thing is making sure we are tough to break down and to try and restrict their opportunities.

"The pressure will be on them as the home team and I'm sure they will be hoping to put the tie to bed as early as possible so we have to frustrate them and hopefully bring a bit of tension to their fans.

"The longer the game goes on with the score still the same it will heighten that and it means we only need one opportunity to bring ourselves level.

"It will be tough, no doubt about it, but it is a challenge we will relish and one that we are more than capable of doing if we work hard and play to our full potential."