LARNE, Northern Ireland (Interstat) — Ethan McGee scored in the 82nd minute to complete Linfield’s comeback and give the visiting Blues a 2-1 victory over Larne at Inver Park. Larne took the lead through Leroy Millar in the 21st minute, but Rhys Brennan leveled for Linfield in the 51st before McGee supplied the winner. Linfield improved its season record in the competition to 3 wins, 0 losses and 1 draw, matching its overall mark. Larne fell to 6 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw in the competition and across all competitions.

Millar, who finished with 87 minutes and one goal, put Larne ahead with a 21st-minute finish. The home side protected that advantage into halftime, though Linfield’s Baird was booked in first-half stoppage time at 45+1. Larne could not add to its lead before the interval. Larne sought a second goal after the break and had spells of pressure, but the match shifted when Brennan struck in the 51st minute. Brennan finished with 90 minutes and one goal. His equalizer gave Linfield a foothold and forced Larne to respond again in a match that was becoming more open.

The equalizer changed the match’s momentum. McGee, who had 90 minutes, one goal and a yellow card, was booked in the 60th minute. That booking was part of a busy sequence: Larne’s Cosgrove was cautioned in the 53rd, and Larne’s O’Neill and Bent joined McGee in the book in the 60th. McGee then found the decisive goal in the 82nd, finishing the comeback and putting Linfield in front for the first time. The Blues then pushed for a second and found it through McGee. The goal made McGee the central figure in the closing stretch after his earlier caution.

After McGee’s goal, the closing stages grew increasingly scrappy. Larne’s Ridley was booked in the 85th minute and McKendry followed in the 88th. In all, the teams combined for seven yellow cards, with five going to Larne and two to Linfield. Linfield made substitutions involving Moore in the 63rd and Nelson in the 73rd, while Larne introduced McEneff in the 68th and made a trio of changes in the 83rd involving Sloan, O’Neill and Simpson. Millar came off in the 87th, and Linfield had changes involving Brennan and Frizzell in the 90th. The late substitutions could not alter the outcome as Linfield held its advantage through the final whistle.

Linfield entered the match after a 2-2 draw at Carrick Rangers, a 2-0 win over Bangor FC and a 3-1 victory at Coleraine in its previous competition matches. Larne had lost 3-2 to Coleraine at home, beaten Crusaders 3-0, won 5-2 at Carrick Rangers, beaten Cliftonville 2-0, won 2-0 at Portadown, beaten Bangor FC 1-0, won 2-1 at Glentoran and drawn 0-0 at Coleraine in its recent competition outings. The win gives Linfield momentum ahead of its scheduled visit to Portadown, while Larne will look to respond when it travels to Bangor FC. Linfield’s competition record now stands at 3 wins, 0 losses and 1 draw, and its overall record is identical. Larne’s competition record is 6 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw, with the same mark across all competitions. The result marked another tight chapter in the teams’ season, with Linfield’s second-half rally proving decisive.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Larne 1, Linfield 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Larne with a 75.6 percent probability to win. Larne had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -0.5. The total score of 3 went under the over/under line of 2.5.