Penalty pain for Glentoran’s two-goal Navid Nasseri

Nasseri broke the deadlock with an assured finish before the break then added a second around the hour mark thanks to some individual quality inside the area.

However, the final word on Nasseri’s performance went to Glenavon goalkeeper Jonny Tuffey as he pulled off a slick penalty save which left the Glentoran forward without the match ball and the Belfast side without the match points.

“To go ahead twice but for Glenavon to equalise twice - plus to then get the penalty - and not come away with three points is massively disappointing,” said Nasseri. “My goals were cancelled out by missing the penalty at the end.

“I’m devastated for the team and it’s a kick in the teeth.

“I was on a hat-trick and felt great for the penalty.

“My penalty in the Irish Cup tie against Portadown was the first spot-kick miss of my career.

“I’m more than happy to take them and thought I had put it in the bottom corner but the goalkeeper’s just got down well and saved it.

“It’s just one of those things - you put it one way or the other and you hope the goalkeeper goes the other way.

“I think they were sloppy goals we conceded, from our viewpoint as a team.

“I’m more disappointed than anything else but you’ve got to give the goalkeeper credit for the save.”

Glentoran now trail Linfield, the league leaders and defending champions, by eight points in third approaching the closing stages of the Danske Bank Premiership campaign.

It marked a second successive draw for the Glens, in the aftermath of a point against Carrick Rangers, plus home loss to Coleraine.

“I’m actually thankful we have Linfield twice still, otherwise it would be game, set and match,” said Nasseri. “It’s all to play for still, everyone can pick up or drop points.

“Before this month we had gone 15 or 16 games unbeaten I think so there’s no reason why we cannot do that again until the end of the season.

“We know we have to play the way we can.

“The Coleraine game was a blip I think, in terrible conditions - and the past few weeks it has been a case of points dropped really.

“It’s still in our hands, we’ve got games to play and three points to win so it’s up to us to turn up and impose ourselves.

“I don’t feel like anything is different, training levels are still the same standard as before.

“But dropping points in the Carrick game and today is massively disappointing due to the manner of those two results.”

GLENAVON: Tuffey, Larmour, Doyle, Daniels, Harmon, Clingan (Snoddy, 46), Purkis, Singleton, Jenkins (Byrne, 84), Davidson (McCloskey, 58), Coates.

Subs (not used): Burns, Beggs, Garrett, Farren.

GLENTORAN: Antolovic, Kane, Peers, Gallagher, McDaid, McClean, Pepper, Nasseri, Van Overbeek (O’Neill, 76), Donnelly, Clucas.

Subs (not used): Morris, Frazer, Crowe, O’Neill, Cowan, O’Connor, Matulevicius.

Referee: Shane Andrews.