Linfield were seconds away from winning before their European dream was crushed in gut-wrenching fashion as they lost 4-2 on penalties to RFS on a hugely dramatic night at Windsor Park.
Matthew Clarke and Ethan Devine missed the spot-kicks for the Blues after their Europa Conference League play-off finished 3-3 on aggregate.
A Jimmy Callacher own goal in the last minute of extra time gave the Latvians a 1-1 second-leg draw after a Kyle McClean goal on 104 minutes looked like it would earn Linfield a deserved win.
In the end David Healy’s men were left to rue missing a host of good chances in the chaotic closing stages of the 90 minutes as they missed out on becoming the first Irish League club to reach the group stage of a European competition.
The south Belfast club, who have won the Irish Premiership title for four consecutive seasons, were on course for making their group stage debut and earning the £2.4m (2.9m euros) windfall which that delivers.
It was the 120th minute of the game when a low cross came in from the left and experienced defender Callacher, a half-time substitute on his return from injury, miskicked his clearance and sliced the ball on to the underside of the crossbar and just over the line.
McClean’s goal came 16 minutes earlier when he controlled a right-wing cross from the excellent Kirk Millar before drilling a well-controlled drive just inside the post in front of the vocal home support in The Kop.
With the almost 5,000 home crowd at Windsor stunned by that late equaliser, Linfield failed to convert their first two shootout spot-kicks as Matthew Clarke saw his effort saved by Pavels Steinbors before sub Ethan Devine dragged his wide.
RFS were successful with all four of their of their spot-kicks as Stefan Panic converted the penalty that secured his side’s place in the group stage.
In truth, the match should not have need to go beyond 90 minutes given the chances Linfield had during the game and, in particular, in the closing stages. They also had two penalty appeals which referee Matej Jug did not agree with on what was their eighth and final European outing this season.
Defender Sam Roscoe was first to miss a big chance in the 15th minute when a deep Millar cross from the left found him a few yards from goal, but he headed straight at keeper Steinbors.
Robbie McDaid had already gone close with two first-half headers when he failed to convert a great opportunity just before the hour. He worked tirelessly to dispossess Vitalijs Jagodinskis in the box but then fired straight at the visiting keeper – who was sharp off his line – from close range before heading the rebound wide from an offside position.
It was the visitors’ turn to miss an excellent chance in the 62nd minute when Emerson Santana went clean through on goal but home keeper Chris Johns came racing off his line and made a great save with his feet – though the Brazilian striker will feel his shot was too close to the former Coleraine stopper.
Then came that flurry of chances for the home side in the final 10 minutes, the first falling to Devine whose header was well saved by Steinbors.
On 87 minutes Chris Shields had a well-hit shot blocked when it looked like it was heading for the top corner, with Devine then failing to get a proper connection to his shot when well placed from the corner.
Fellow sub Eetu Vertainen had a close-range header cleared off the line before full-back Daniel Finlayson’s header from a McClean cross grazed the outside of the post.
