Q Radio Sport
Linfield have made an early exit from the Champions League.
They went down 2-1 at Windsor Park on Tuesday night against Lithuanian side Zalgiris - who had two players sent off.
So Linfield lose 5-2 on aggregate after a 3-1 defeat in Vilnius last week.
David Healy's men now go into the Europa Conference League and will face Bosnian team Borac Banja Luka next Thursday in Belfast.
FT: Champions League
— Q Radio News (@qnewsdesk) July 13, 2021
Qualifying 1st round, 2nd leg@OfficialBlues 1
Shields, pen@fkzalgiris 2
Žalgiris Vilnius win 5-2 on aggregate. Lithuanians finish at Windsor with NINE men after two red cards but progress.
Linfield drop down to Europa Conference qualifiers.#UCL #UECL
Despite a bright start David Healy's side fell behind on 17 minutes when a header fell for Saulius Mikoliūnas which he duly half volleyed past Chris Johns from the edge of the area into the bottom corner.
To their credit Linfield created a number of half chances as the game progressed but, a minute from the break, they fell further behind courtesy of a stunning 20-yard piledriver into the top corner from Ogenyi Onazi to put the outcome of the tie beyond any doubt.
Linfield pulled one back just after the hour to keep the game alive on the night at least. A Niall Quinn free-kick reached Jimmy Callacher at the far post and his looping header was kept out by Senegalese defender El Hadji Diaw, who was subsequently also sent-off, while Chris Shields stepped out to fire the spot-kick into the bottom corner.
Needing three goals to stay in contention, Linfield almost bagged a second soon after only for Quinn's volley to be well tipped over, while Jordan Stewart later fired into the side netting.
The visitors were reduced to nine men right at the end when substitute Karolis Uzėla, only on the pitch a matter of minutes, was dismissed for a challenge on Trai Hume.
Christy Manzinga gets a shot on goal
Linfield: Johns, Newberry, Shields, Callacher, Millar, Hume, Manzinga, M. Clarke, Fallon, Mulgrew, Quinn. subs Williamson (not used), Walsh (not used), Roscoe-Byrne (not used), Larkin (not used), Stewart (replaced M. Clarke 46), Nasseri (replaced Quinn 72), Pepper (not used), A. Clarke (replaced Manzinga 86), Palmer (replaced Mulgrew 72), Carroll (not used)
Zalgiris Vilnius: Gertmonas, Bopesu, Gamakov, Vidémont, Sylvestr, Mikoliūnas, Tatomirović. Onazi, Diaw, Ljubisavljević, Kyeremeh. subs Duka (not used), Uzėla (replaced Gamakov 86), Piliukaitis (not used), Verbickas (replaced Onazi 78), Tadic (replaced Sylvestr 70), Karamarko (replaced Kyeremeh 86), Mikulenas (not used), Jarusevičius (not used)