Larne boss Tiernan Lynch taking more positives than negatives from first Champions League outing despite HJK Helsinki heartbreak

Larne were left with a mountain to climb, in a tie which marked the club’s first taste of Champions League football, after Tuomas Ollila’s 26th-minute goal handed the Finnish champions a 2-0 aggregate advantage at Solitude.

But they managed to scale it through a Lee Bonis penalty and late Joe Thomson strike to force extra-time.

Dreams were dashed once again – and decisively - six minutes into extra-time when Pyri Soiri’s cross was deflected into his own net by defender Shaun Want.

"If you're in that changing room now it's like a morgue and they should be very proud of the performance they put in,” he said. “I think it's testament to where we want to go as a club that we aren't happy with that and it was a good performance.

"You're looking back now kicking yourself that you never got anything from the first game.

"As a team, it's the second competitive game of the season so to go up against a team who are 18 games in, the positives outweigh any negatives there.

"It's something we will build on as a club with it being the first time we're in the Champions League and I'm like a broken record but I think our league has to give us the best chance in Europe.

"You can't go in against teams like that and it be your first competitive game of the season and have any kind of chance...I think the league really need to start looking at that."

HJK escaped with victory but Lynch believes if Larne can repeat that level of performance in the future they’ll find themselves back on big European stages.

"Only my opinion, but there's nothing between those two teams,” he added. “I told the players that if we can get that level of performance week in, week out and show a little more bravery in European football then I don't think we'll be too far away."

Despite the heartbreak, Lynch’s side will at least get another crack at European qualification as they drop into the Europa Conference League.