Larne return home with three-goal setback against Ballkani

​Ballkani will enjoy a convincing 3-0 advantage for the visit next Thursday to Belfast’s Solitude as Larne appear on course for a second successive European exit.

A first senior Irish League title in club history last season left Larne with a first taste of Champions League football this summer.

However, a 3-2 aggregate defeat to HJK Helsinki left Larne out of the top-tier competition and into the Europa Conference League against Ballkani.

A penalty on 26 minutes allowed Albion Rrahmani to break the deadlock in Kosovo, following Craig Farquhar’s foul on Nazmi Gripshi.

Larne had to regroup after a second goal for the hosts just past the half-hour mark when Kryeziu slotted home.

And it was 3-0 following the interval off Gripshi’s goal.

Larne had to adjust to high temperatures in Kosovo as Ballkani enjoyed plenty of possession, with Rohan Ferguson sharp between the posts.

Ballkani had a goal ruled out for offside in the second half at 2-0.

LARNE: Ferguson, Cosgrove (Maguire, 87), Want, Farquhar, Donnelly, Glynn (Ives, 63), Sloan (Thomson, 63), Gordon, Millar, Ryan (O’Neill, 77), Bonis (Westendorf, 77).

Subs (not used): Dowling, Omar, Kearns, Smith.

And in domestic Irish League news, Linfield’s opening match of the Sports Direct Premiership season against Cliftonville has been postponed from its original date of Saturday, August 5 and will now instead be played on Tuesday, August 22 at 7:45.

The Blues had requested a fixture switch due to involvement in the Europa Conference League, with their second round qualifying second leg against Pogon Szczecin in Poland on August 3 – just two days prior to their scheduled league opener.

BBC Sport NI were scheduled to stream the fixture at 5:30pm on Saturday.

The rearrangement means Jim Magilton’s first competitive league game in charge of Cliftonville will be at Solitude on August 12 against Glenavon while David Healy’s side will open their campaign on the road at Dungannon Swifts the same day.