The European dream of Linfield was crushed in heartbreaking fashion as they lost 4-2 on penalties to RFS at Windsor Park.
The Blues missed the spot-kicks in the second leg of the play-offs.
Kyle McClean's goal on 104 minutes looked like it would give the hosts a deserved victory, but Jimmy Callacher's own goal in injury time gave the Latvians a draw.
They missed out on becoming the first Irish League club to reach the group stage of a European competition, as they missed out on a host of good chances in the closing stages.
The south Belfast club, who have won the Irish Premiership title for four years in a row, were on the verge of making their group stage debut and earning a windfall of nearly three million euro.
McClean's goal came 16 minutes later when he controlled a right-wing cross from the excellent Kirk Millar before drilling a well-controlled drive just inside the post.
There's more to come.