Kearney goal keeps Linfield hopes high

Halmstad 1 Linfield 1

The Blues fell behind in the 31st minute to an Andreas Johansson strike but battled back to level the tie with Kearney running in from midfield to power home the equaliser in the 72nd minute.

Linfield rode their luck at times but rarely looked out of their depth and will be in the first round proper if they can prevent the Swedes from scoring in a fortnight’s time.