Ronan Hale's well-taken strike gave Larne a lead in DenmarkTiernan Lynch, Larne manager, has stated that he "never been a part of anything where I've felt as proud" after his team's progress in the Europa Conference League.Ronan Hale's goal in the first half was cancelled by Patrick Olsen's penalty against 10-man ARG Aarhus.Larne won the third qualifying round, 3-2 aggregate.He said, "We discussed giving the fans something positive to cheer about tonight. External-linkIt was a hard night. We rode our luck at times. We didn't perform well, but we discussed in our pre-match today that tonight wasn't about performance. Tonight was about results and we achieved them tonight."We crushed that, we showed great hunger and drive, and we refused not to be defeated. I believe that's a good sign for moving forward."We are playing at a completely different level now. This is a great team with many very talented players. We had to bring a different mindset, but I found the mindset absolutely fantastic.Larne's climb up the Northern Irish football ladder is continuing with another step with the 1-1 draw in Denmark. Three years ago, the Inver Reds were preparing to play in the NIFL Championship. This is the country's second tier.They were promoted to the top flight at end of 2017-18 season. This is thanks to their County Antrim Shield victory and their run to the Irish Cup final last season, where they lost to Linfield.Tiernan Lynch's men will be facing Pacos De Ferreira from Portugal in the third qualifying round. The first leg is scheduled for 5 August, with the return fixture at Inver park a week later.Hale strikes after Aarhus redThe hosts witnessed a lot of possession at the Aarhus Stadium but were unable to stop the Irish Premiership team.David McDaid was often a lonely figure in front of the Irish Premiership side. They were content to hit Aarhus on Aarhus' counter but McDaid was effective when he got in to the game. A quick move almost led to the opening goal, however Lee Lynch saw Jesper Hasnen save his attempt.The hosts continued to press, and Oliver Lund's header barely missed the target. However, just eight minutes after receiving his first yellow card for scything on John Herron, Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson, a Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson midfielder, was sent off at 26 minutes. He had made a poor dive in the penalty box while being pressured by Larne.Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson was dispatched for simulationThe hosts didn't give up and skipper Jeff Hughes was alert to get the ball off the line. Rohan Ferguson had a critical touch to match Dawid Kurminowski on the wet surface.Gift Links' rasping attempt from the area's edge was another warning shot, but Larne continued digging deep and pushing forward as the second half progressed. After McDaid's excellent forward play, Cian Bolger headed Mark Randall's corner over. However, the breakthrough came just before half-time.Randall caught Frederik Tinager in possession just outside of the area. He then squared the ball to Hale. The forward was replaced by Lynch three minutes later.Larne shows resilienceAarhus needed two goals to force extra time. He jumped out of the traps following the restart to try to get back in to the game.Kurminowski shot a long shot from the edge of an area, but the Danish team, just as in the first-half failed to break down the Irish Premiership side despite being the most possession.McDaid was denied a goal by Hale, who played in a rare Larne attack. However, Aarhus returned to the game after the ball skidded off the surface and hit Robinson's arm.Although it seemed a difficult call, Olsen, a midfielder, converted the penalty. With momentum on their side Links saw a brilliant stoppage by Ferguson just minutes later.As they tried to score a dramatic late equaliser, the Danish storm continued. However, Larne held firm and Herron made a brilliant block to deny Albert Grnbk.
