It was a frustrating week in Europe for JD Cymru Premier sides, with only The New Saints left standing after the conclusion of the first qualifying rounds.
The Saints will continue their European campaign via the UEFA Conference League route, after a 2-1 extra-time defeat to KF Shkendija saw the Oswestry side eliminated from the UEFA Champions League.
Craig Harrison’s side travelled to North Macedonia following a closely-contested goalless draw at Park Hall last week, but the hosts quickly established themselves. Liridon Latifi hit the woodwork, before new Saints goalkeeper Nathan Shepperd needed to make a superb double save to deny Fabrice Tamba and then Endrit Krasniqi.
The pressure eventually told in the 18th minute, when Shepperd tipped Besart Ibraimi’s powerful drive across goal into the path of Tamba, who drove in the rebound.
TNS interrupted the host’s dominance as they clawed their way back onto level terms seven minutes before half-time, when Jordan Williams slotted into a wide-open goal after Ryan Brobbel’s hopeful attempt had taken a kind deflection.
A midfield battle ensued in the second period that saw both sides collectively run out of steam, before Shkendija were awarded a late penalty only for VAR to overturn the decision.
The two teams remained stuck at a deadlock in extra-time and penalties seemed a formality until Jack Bodenham despairingly prodded Fiton Ademi’s cutback into his own net in the 116th minute.
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Defeat means that TNS will now face Luxembourg champions FC Differdange 03 in the UEFA Conference League second qualifying round, with the first leg at Park Hall on Wednesday 23 July (KO 19:00 BST). Â
Haverfordwest County bowed out of the UEFA Conference League with a 3-2 defeat to Floriana (5-3 on aggregate) on what was an incident-packed night at Parc y Scarlets.
The Bluebirds, trailing 2-1 to their Maltese opponents from the first leg, got off to the best possible start when Greg Walters fired in a loose ball in the box from close range on 11 minutes, before Ben Ahmum’s outrageous curling finish from the left of the area doubled the Bluebirds’ lead just six minutes later and put them ahead in the tie.
Floriana quickly responded through Carlo Zammit Lonardelli’s deflected strike, which restored parity on aggregate, but there was little to suggest of the drama that was to unfold.
Haverfordwest’s night began to sour when Alaric Jones conceded a penalty just before half-time that would also earn the defender his second yellow card of the night. Jake Grech, who made no mistake from the spot in the first leg, produced another composed finish from 12 yards to give the visitors the equaliser on the night and the advantage on aggregate.
Competing with 10 men finally took its toll on valiant County in the second half, with Charles M’Mombwa’s sharp near-post finish extending the visitors’ aggregate lead on 67 minutes before Rhys Abbruzzese’s second yellow card in stoppage time reduced the Bluebirds contingent on the pitch even further.
Penybont faced an uphill battle in the UEFA Conference League after a 3-0 first leg defeat to Kauno Zalgiris in Lithuania last week, but Rhys Griffiths’ side restored some pride with a battling 1-1 draw at the Cardiff International Sports Stadium to exit 4-1 on aggregate.
Bont showed early signs of promise as Owen Pritchard’s curling effort bounced off the post, but Zalgiris extended their lead in the tie with Colombian defender Aldayr Hernandez’s glancing header from Gratas Sirgedas’ corner on 13 minutes.
It took Penybont just four minutes to find an equaliser on the night as Nathan Wood marked his first start since New Year’s Eve in style. The forward created space for himself in the box with some quick feet before drilling a low shot through a crowd into the bottom corner.
Zalgiris looked to score a second of the game after the break when Temur Chogadze’s angled finish rolled dangerously past the Penybont post, before Gabriel Kircough blazed over late on for Bont.
