Cliftonville produced an impressive display at Solitude but still lost by the odd goal in three in their UEFA Conference League clash with Latvian side FK Auda.

A bright start to the game saw both sides coming close to moving in front with around a quarter-of-an-hour on the clock.

The Reds might have seized the advantage when Sean Stewart's cross to the back post met Ruaidhri Donnelly but Auda keeper Krisjanis Zviedris produces a superb save to deny him.

Then, moments later at the other end, El Hadj Mane's ball found Abdulrahman Taiwo in the area only for his first time effort to fail to hit the target.

However, the visitors did break the deadlock on 32 minutes. Failing to clear corner, the Reds defence allowed the ball to fall for Abiodun Ogunniyi who duly punished them with a close range volley past David Odumosu.

But Cliftonville got back on level terms just seven minutes after that following some poor defending from Shea Gordon's corner that allowed Luke Conlan to knock the ball home.

It was a similar story after the break, with Auda almost regaining the advantage when Ilja Korotkovs rose to meet a corner only to head just wide of the far post.

Cliftonville then had a chance a few minutes later after Stewart's corner fizzed across the box but neither Ryan Curran nor Donnelly could get the vital touch to direct it over the line.

Indeed, Jim Magilton's side looked the more likely to edge into the lead with both Ronan Doherty and Johnny Addis being unlucky to be denied by a couple of great stops from Zviedris.

The game was settled, however, with around 13 minutes remaining after Taiwo knocked home the winner when he skipped past a defender before slotting past Odumosu to hand the Latvians a crucial advantage going into next week's return leg in Riga.

Cliftonville: Odumosu, Pepper, Stewart, Addis, Newberry, Kearney, Curran, Donnelly, Conlon, Gordon, Doherty subs Breen, Leppard, Jordan, Gormley, McGuinness, Berry, Wylie, Corrigan, Sheridan

FK Auda: Zviedris, Hrvoj, Clemente, Ogunniyi, Mane, Melniks, Korotkovs, Taiwo, Bosancic, Tavares, Talla subs Sturins, Saveljevs, Ramos, Ogunji, Isajevs, Rubenis