“Ivan Lepinjica picked up an early yellow card for a foul, setting a combative tone and handing Sabah an early psychological edge.”
“After a series of corners that had been putting The New Saints under sustained pressure, Joy-Lance Mickels converted to give Sabah the lead — a goal that had been building for over a quarter of an hour.”
Pivotal“Substitute Josh Lock — introduced just 15 minutes earlier — pulled one back for The New Saints deep in stoppage time, briefly raising the prospect of a remarkable turnaround before the final whistle ensured Sabah held on.”
The New Saints
Sabah
Sabah were ruthless in the first half and ultimately professional enough to see out a result that their overall performance warranted. Joy-Lance Mickels broke the deadlock on 28 minutes after a spell of sustained pressure that had already produced multiple corner situations, and Rahman Dashdamirov doubled the lead on the stroke of half-time to put the tie effectively beyond reach. The New Saints threw bodies forward after the break — six substitutions in the final 30 minutes told its own story — and Josh Lock pulled one back deep in injury time, but it was too little, too late. Sabah edged possession at 54-46 and led in shots on target six to four, reflecting a controlled if not entirely dominant display. For The New Saints, a Champions League exit at this stage is a painful but perhaps expected outcome given the gulf in prestige and form between the two sides; for Sabah, it is a significant statement of intent as they push forward in what appears to be a serious continental campaign.
How entertaining was this match?
Corner awarded.
Goal! The score is now 1-2.
Zach Nolan is on, and Daniel Redmond is off.
On Xander Severina, off Aleksey Isaev.
Kaheem Parris is on, and Aaron Malouda is off.
Kaheem Parris is on, and Aaron Malouda is off.
On comes Josh Lock, off goes Ryan Brobbel.
Corner awarded.
Ryan Brobbel receives a yellow card.
Ryan Brobbel receives a yellow card.
Rodrigo Francisco Pinto Vieira Fernandes is on, and Ivan Lepinjica is off.
Substitution: Isaac Jefferies comes on for Leo Smith.
On Ben Clark, off Eoin Farrell.
Rhys Hughes receives a yellow card.
On Archie Daniel Davies, off Daniel Patrick Williams.
The first half ends with a score of 0-2.
Corner awarded.
assist: Tymoteusz Puchacz
Goal! Rahman Dashdamirov scores, making it 0-2.
Corner awarded.
assist: Aaron Malouda
Goal! The score is now 0-1.
Corner awarded.
Corner awarded.
Corner awarded.
Yellow card shown to Ivan Lepinjica.
Kick-off! The referee is Mateo Busquets Ferrer.
The New Saints face a mountain to climb as they host Sabah at Park Hall needing to overturn a 2-0 aggregate deficit in the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round second leg. Sabah, in their historic first-ever Champions League campaign, arrive in Wales with confidence after a commanding first-leg victory in Baku. Can the Welsh champions conjure a stunning comeback, or will the Azerbaijani side book their place in the next round?
