The New Saints face an uphill battle in the Champions League after a 2-0 defeat to Sabah in the first leg of the opening qualifying round in Azerbaijan.
After a dominant first half from the hosts in Baku, Veljko Simic and Kaheem Parris struck after the break to give Sabah a deserved advantage. TNS, who won a record 18th Cymru Premier title last season, spent much of the match pinned inside their own half.
Sabah, crowned Azerbaijani champions for the first time last season, created a series of openings before the interval but failed to take them, with Tymoteusz Puchacz, Joy-Lance Mickels, Simic and Aaron Malouda all missing chances. The visitors’ best first-half moment saw Leo Smith’s effort from a Dominic Corness corner blocked.
The pressure resumed immediately after the restart, though TNS’s organised, disciplined defending initially kept Sabah at bay. Malouda—son of former Chelsea and France winger Florent—cut inside and curled over, but moments later Simic powered a header past Nathan Shepperd from Puchacz’s corner to make it 1-0. Late on, Simic turned provider, sliding a pass for Parris to finish six minutes from time.
The second leg takes place at Park Hall on Tuesday, 14 July (18:30 BST).