FK Dečić 1-1 The New Saints: match report

Match Report

Goals: Young (43) [P]
Yellow cards: Redmond (45), Daniels (64)
Substitutions: Holden for Clark (62), Baker for Brobbel (63), D, Williams for Redmond (75), McManus for Young (75), Bradley for J. Williams (84)

Match report by Sam Wood
Lead image: Brian Jones

The New Saints picked up a 1-1 draw on the road in Montenegro to reach the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2019.

The draw, combined with last week’s 3-0 victory at Park Hall, saw The Saints advance 4-1 on aggregate to set up a huge clash against Hungarian champions, Ferencváros.

Brad Young scored TNS’ goal for the penalty spot, before Dečić equalised through Asmir Kajević following a VAR check.

It was an evenly matched start, and the first chance of the game went the way of The New Saints with eight minutes on the clock.

After creating space for a shot on the edge of the penalty area, Ben Clark tried his luck, but his strike was easy for Igor Nikić to gather in the Dečić goal.

In the 14th minute, there was danger down the other end, as the home side almost got back into the game through Alen Mašović.

Catching Connor Roberts off guard with a first-time strike, the ball struck the near post, before fortunately bouncing behind for a goal kick.

Both teams continued to trade chances as the half wore on, and with 32 minutes played, Roberts did well to rush out and save the ball at the feet of Ian Puleio.

With their 3-0 aggregate lead, Harrison’s side were defending well though, and looked comfortable dealing with the Blues’ attacking threats.

Four minutes before the break, things got even better too for the visitors from Wales, when referee, Atilla Karaoglan, awarded a penalty following a foul on Ben Clark.

Brad Young stepped up and made no mistake, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot to put his side in complete control of the tie.

The hosts came out with more attacking intent following the half-time break, with substitute, Peter Sekulović, looking lively in midfield.

It was Bojan Matić who could’ve reduced the deficit in the 54th minute, however, but after beating the offside trap, the Serbian striker failed to hit the target.

Wales C international, Roberts, was involved again just four minutes later, as he pulled off a superb one-handed stop to prevent Luka Malešecić’s powerful strike from finding the top corner.

As the game progressed and the hosts had nothing to lose, the Blues began to throw more bodies forward and cause more problems.

A strike from Ilir Camaj was deflected behind for a corner, before his side did eventually hit back in the 72nd minute following a VAR review.

After a scramble inside the TNS penalty area, Asmir Kajević got a shot away, and the ball struck the underside of the crossbar and bounced down onto the goal line.

Initially, the referee waved play on, but moments later, stopped the game to seek clarity from his video assistant.

The television replays showed the ball crossing the line, meaning Dečić were awarded the goal, but were still left with plenty of work to do in the final 20 minutes.

Making a number of changes to slow the game down, the JD Cymru Premier champions saw out the remainder of the match professionally though to secure another famous European result in the process.

Craig Harrison’s side will now face Hungarian champions, Ferencváros, in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, with the first leg due to take place next week in Budapest.