Champions League qualifying: The New Saints have mountain to climb after defeat in Gothenburg
The New Saints' hopes of progressing in the Champions League were dealt a blow after a 3-1 defeat to BK Hacken in Gothenburg; Northern Ireland's Larne made the worst possible start to their debut in the Champions League after losing 1-0 to HJK Helsinki
Wednesday 12 July 2023 21:08, UK
The New Saints' hopes of progressing in the Champions League were dealt a blow after a 3-1 defeat to BK Hacken in Gothenburg.
They were 2-0 down inside the opening 13 minutes of their first qualifying round first leg courtesy of goals from Ibrahim Sadiq and Mikkel Rygaard.
The Welsh Premier League champions got themselves back into the game with Declan McManus powering home a 32nd-minute header from Jordan Williams' cross.
However, within five minutes, Even Hovland re-established the hosts' two-goal cushion after a long VAR check.
Northern Ireland's Larne made the worst possible start to their debut in the Champions League after losing 1-0 to HJK Helsinki having conceded in only the third minute.
The Irish Premiership champions have work to do in the home leg of their first qualifying round tie after Cian Bolger conceded an early penalty with a foul on Topi Keskinen which allowed Bojan Radulovic to score from the spot.
Larne, who failed to have a shot on target in 90 minutes, face a difficult task against a Finnish side who reached the group stages of last season's Europa League.
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