UEFA Conference League Second Qualifying Round

Second Leg

TNS 0

Vikingur Reykjavik 0

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THE New Saints’s hopes of a European adventure are over for another season after they failed to overturn a two-goal first leg deficit against Vikingur Reykjavik.

Anthony Limbrick’s men were held to a goalless draw at Park Hall when they needed to score three times to earn passage into the UEFA

A lack of cutting edge across both legs was enough to knock the Cymru Premier League champions out after defeat in Iceland last week, following their exit from the Champions League against Linfield.

The home side came out of the blocks strong, showing more attacking intent in the first 10 minutes than they did in the whole of the first leg.

But after 20 minutes, the scores remained level after the two sides traded corners and not much more.

Reykjavik could and should have taken the lead on the half hour when Swedish defender Peter Ekroth rose highest but headed wide.

The visitors began to assert their dominance over a toothless Saints, for who Declan McManus cut an isolated figure, and two chances within three minutes fell to skipper Julius Magnusson.

Magnusson, who was booked for a bad high tackle on Danny Redmond, tried with his luck with an acrobatic effort from 12 yards and then a glancing header in the six yard box.

McManus came close to giving Saints a sight of goal moments before the break but the forward was unable to keep his header down.

Saints were given an early warning a minute into the second half when Kristall Ingason shot straight at Conner Roberts from 20 yards.

McManus was unable to react to a missed header by Ekroth on 51 minutes as the big Swede failed to head away an Adrian Cieslewicz cross but the Scot couldn’t control.

Cieslewicz, in an unfamiliar right back role all evening, popped up around the six-yard box and the Saints veteran really should have scored on 54 minutes but headed over.

On 62 minutes, Saints relied again on Roberts to keep their hopes alive when he rushed out to smother Ingason’s shot after great work from the starlet.

Limbrick was left with no choice but to go for it and he made two attacking subs in Leo Smith and Josh Daniels to try to salvage a goal.

Saints failed to test Ingvar Jonsson in the visiting goal until 84 minutes when McManus smashed the ball at the visiting keeper for their shot on target in both ties.

And the Icelandic champions held on to progress into the next round with a likely tie against Poland’s Lech Poznan.

TNS: Roberts, Pask, Astles, Marriott, Cieslewicz (Hudson), Routledge (Daniels), Brobbel, Redmond, Williams, Clark (Smith), McManus

Subs: Atherton, Davies, Canavan, Kirkman, Lock, Grogan, Warder, Cornish