The New Saints 1-2 Ferencváros: match report

Match Report

Goals: Daniels (90+1)
Yellow cards: Brobbel (21), Baker (60), McManus (68)
Substitutions: Marshall for Baker (63), Pask for D. Davies (63), Bradley for Brobbel (63), J. Williams for McManus (75), Clark for Holden (80)

Match report by Sam Wood
Lead image: Nik Mesney/FAW

Following a respectable 2-1 defeat at home against Ferencváros, The New Saints were eliminated from this season’s UEFA Champions League.

Trailing 5-0 from the first leg, few expected The Saints to mount an unlikely comeback, but the performance was certainly one to be proud of against their higher ranked Hungarian opponents.

Despite suffering elimination, The Saints dreams of becoming the first Welsh domestic side to reach the league phase of European competition remain alive, as they now drop into the UEFA Europa League to face Moldovan champions, Petrocub.

Things were much more positive for The Saints in the opening stages of the second leg, and the JD Cymru Premier champions enjoyed a good spell of early possession.

With 15 minutes on the clock, Craig Harrison’s side had the first chance of the game, as Declan McManus went close to breaking the deadlock with a free-kick from the edge of the box.

Down the other end, Aleksandar Pešić was causing problems for the home side again, and with 22 minutes gone, he fired wide from the middle of the penalty area.

Three minutes later, Čebrails Makreckis tried his luck from outside the box, but failed to work Connor Roberts in the TNS goal.

On the half hour mark, last week’s hat-trick hero, Adama Traoré, hit the side netting after a surging run down the right flank, as the team from Hungary looked to further their aggregate advantage.

Harrison’s side were defending resolutely though, and it looked likely they would make it into the half-time interval with the score still level.

Just two minutes before the whistle blew, however, Kristoffer Zachariassen chipped the ball over the top of Roberts from just inside the penalty area to make the score 1-0 on the night.

If the tie wasn’t over already, the Norwegian midfielder’s goal put things to bed, and the match was more pedestrian following the restart.

However, following a challenge by Ash Baker on Traoré inside the area, the visitors from Budapest were given the opportunity to double their advantage from the penalty spot.

Philippe Rommens stepped up and made no mistake from the spot, sending Roberts the wrong way to increase the aggregate margin to 7-0.

With both sides making their maximum allowance of substitutes, the remainder of the half was much more disrupted.

In the first minute of second-half stoppage time though, the JD Cymru Premier champions got a deserved reward, when Josh Daniels turned the ball home at the back post to score his first UEFA Champions League goal.

That made the score 2-1 on the night, which proved to be a very respectable result for the champions of Wales.

The defeat means The Saints now fall into the UEFA Europa League, where they’ll face Moldovan champions, Petrocub, in the third qualifying round next week.

Before that though, the defence of the Nathaniel MG Cup begins at Park Hall this coming Friday, as Harrison’s side welcome Flint Town United.