In the first leg of the UEFA Conference League’s opening round, FK Auda held Northern Irish side Larne FC to a 0-0 draw away from home, leaving the tie wide open ahead of next Wednesday’s decisive match at Skonto Stadium in Riga.
Head coach Jurģis Kalns fielded a starting eleven featuring several players who only recently wore the colors of Virslīga leaders Riga FC – Paulo Eduardo, Jackson Kenio and Ivan Erquiaga. As they were looking to repeat last year’s achievement by reaching the third qualifying round in the Conference League.
Auda nearly struck early when a misjudgment from Larne keeper Rohan Ferguson, blinded by the sun, created a moment of chaos in the penalty area. The ball bounced dangerously near the goal, but Haitian forward Jeudi Stevenson missed the chance to convert, allowing the home side to breathe a sigh of relief.
Midway through the first half, Auda suffered a blow when midfielder Jackson Kenio was forced off due to injury — a familiar issue for the player, who also struggled with fitness during the early season at Riga FC.
As the first half drew to a close, Auda again squandered a promising opportunity. Both Varslavāns and Meļņiks found themselves in shooting positions inside the box, but neither managed to direct the ball on target, and the two sides went into the break deadlocked at 0-0.
In the second half, Larne began to take the initiative. Around the 60-minute mark, Roberts Ozols was called into action to deny a dangerous effort from former Arsenal academy product Mark Randall, who had driven through the midfield with intent.
A flurry of corners followed for the home team, though none resulted in a clear scoring chance, with several attempts sailing well over the crossbar.
Auda had a golden opportunity of their own in the 79th minute when Kader Kone capitalized on a midfield turnover and unleashed a shot from the edge of the box. Ferguson was alert and made a crucial save to keep the score level.
Statistically, Larne had the better second half, mounting ten attacks with four shots on target. In contrast, Auda tested Ferguson five times, with two shots requiring his intervention.
With no goals in the first leg and all to play for, the tie will be decided next Wednesday at Skonto Stadium, where Auda will look to leverage home advantage and book a place in the next round.
Larne FC vs FK Auda – 0:0 (0:0)
Goals:
LAR: Ferguson, Cosgrove, Nolan, Donnelly, Graham, Randall (Magee 69′), Bent, Gallagher, McEneff, O’Neill (Lusty 69′), McKendry (O’Connor 87′)
AUD: Ozols, Hrvoj, Meļņiks, Eduardo, Erquiaga, Clemente, Nguena, Kenio (Traore 35′), Varslavāns, Stevenson (Kone 46′), Monteiro (Rubenis 87′)
UEFA Conference League 1st qualifying round
| Pair | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Aggregate |
| Nomme Kalju FC vs Partizani (ALB) | 1:1 | 1:0 | 2:1 (after ET) |
| FC Hegelmann vs St. Patrick's Athletic (IRL) | 0:1 | 0:2 | 0:3 |
| FK Auda vs Larne FC (NIR) | 0:0 | 2:3 | 2:3 (After PK) |
| Paide vs Magpies (GIB) | 3:2 | 4:1 | 7:3 |
| FC Flora vs Valur (ISL) | 0:3 | 1:2 | 1:5 |
| Daugavpils vs Vllaznia (ALB) | 1:0 | 2:4 | 3:4 |
| Kauno Žalgiris vs Penybont (WAL) | 3:0 | 1:1 | 4:1 |
