Sabah 2-0 The New Saints: TNS fall to Champions League defeat in Azerbaijan

The New Saints' Champions League hopes are hanging by a thread after they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Sabah in the first leg of the first qualifying round in Baku, Azerbaijan. Goals from Veljko Simic and Kaheem Parris in the second half proved decisive as the hosts dominated the encounter.

The Welsh club, Cymru Premier champions for the 18th time last season, struggled to make an impact and were largely confined to their own half for much of the match. Despite Sabah's first-half dominance, they failed to make their superiority count, with Tymoteusz Puchacz, Joy-Lance Mickels, Simic and Aaron Malouda all squandering clear opportunities in front of goal.

The New Saints' best chance of a quiet first half fell to midfielder Leo Smith, whose shot from Dominic Corness' corner was blocked before it could trouble the Sabah goalkeeper. As the second half progressed, the hosts continued to press forward in search of a breakthrough against a well-organized and disciplined Saints defence.

Malouda came close to opening the scoring when he cut inside and unleashed a curling effort that sailed over the crossbar, but the Sabah breakthrough came just a minute later. Simic powered a header past Saints keeper Nathan Shepperd from Puchacz's corner to send the home crowd into raptures.

The defender then turned provider for Sabah's second goal six minutes from time when he played the ball into the path of Parris, who slotted home to seal a commanding victory. Sabah, who claimed the Azerbaijan title for the first time last season, will travel to Wales brimming with confidence ahead of the second leg.

The New Saints face a mountain to climb when the teams meet again at Park Hall on Tuesday 14 July at 18:30 BST, needing to overturn a two-goal deficit if they are to keep their European dreams alive.