Larne manager Gary Haveron praised “class act” Matty Lusty after his strike helped the Inver Reds take a major step towards securing Champions League progression with a 1-0 victory against Tre Fiori in San Marino – and also eased injury concerns over Sam McClelland.

Lusty has developed a reputation for producing big moments in Europe having scored in away fixtures against FC Ballkani (Kosovo) and Lincoln Red Imps (Gibraltar) during Larne’s historic run to Conference League qualification in 2024.

The 22-year-old struck on the stroke of half-time at the San Marino Stadium as Haveron’s men achieved their mission of bringing a positive result back to Inver Park for next week’s first qualifying round second-leg.

Summer signing McClelland was substituted at the break after playing an important role in Lusty’s winner in what was his first competitive match in almost two years.

placeholder image — Matty Lusty in action for Larne during their Champions League qualifying win over Tre Fiori. (Photo by Pacemaker)

Haveron confirmed it’s not a repeat of an injury which kept the Northern Ireland international out of action for a significant period of time with the 24-year-old feeling the effects of a stamp early in the match.

"The kid (Lusty) is a class act,” Haveron told the club’s media channel. “He's so sharp, so agile, he can change direction on a sixpence, he's a real threat in the game.

"I thought he did really, really well, but there's a number of good performances.

"I'm bitterly disappointed for Sam McClelland. Early in the game he has got stamped on, the lad has stamped down the back of his Achilles, it's not his Achilles injury, it's a cut, but if you seen the blood pouring out of it, the cut is a deep one.

"I'm really disappointed for him, he battled onto half-time...how he stayed out there with the cut he has on the back of his heel is unbelievable.

"It shows you the type of character he is to stay out there and he kept battling to get us an assist for the goal.”

Tuesday’s triumph marked Larne’s maiden Champions League victory with the Inver Reds now one step closer to setting up a second qualifying round showdown against former European Cup winners Red Star Belgrade.

Larne could have been further ahead only for another Lusty goal being ruled out following a lengthy delay and VAR review in the closing stages.

While disappointed to not be holding a bigger advantage, Haveron is pleased to be returning home with a lead.

"It's a really proud moment for the club to get a win in the Champions League, the premier competition in club football,” he added. “To come here and get a result away from home, you have to be pleased.

"I'm probably disappointed if truth be told, we could have been more convincing than the 1-0 win suggests.

"For the dominance, for the amount of box entries we had, we really should have came away with a couple more goals.

"I'm disappointed with the one that gets chalked off, it looks very soft to me, but we came here to get a result to take back to Inver Park on Tuesday night and that's what we've done.”