Sabah FA left Park Hall with a 2-1 win on Tuesday night, completing a 4-1 aggregate success over The New Saints and booking their place in the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round.
Head coach Valdas Dambrauskas watched his 4-2-3-1 seize control inside five minutes despite Ivan Lepinjica collecting a yellow card for a foul in the fifth minute. Stability in midfield gave way to incision when Aaron Malouda supplied the assist for Joy-Lance Mickels to score in the 28th minute. The hosts then conceded again in the 42nd minute, Tymoteusz Puchacz providing the delivery for Rahman Dashdamirov to double the lead and silence the 1,179-strong crowd.
Craig Harrison set up with a 4-4-2, Ryan Brobbel and Jordan Williams leading the line, but possession sat at 46 percent and the first half slipped away without serious disruption of Sabah’s defensive screen. The visitors were content to keep Puchacz high on the left and let Umarali Rahmonaliyev and Lepinjica manage the rhythm, forcing The New Saints to play around the block rather than through it.
The interval brought a response. Declan Davies replaced Daniel Williams at right back in the 46th minute and Rhys Hughes, already on a yellow card for his 48th-minute foul, pushed higher. A double change at 60 minutes saw Ben Clark on for Eoin Farrell and Isaac Jefferies on for Leo Smith, but the pattern stayed the same: territory without penetration, frustration capped by Brobbel’s booking for another foul in the 72nd minute.
Sabah FA managed the game through their bench. Mickels made way for Pierre Mbina after 69 minutes, Lepinjica ceded to Rodrigo Fernandes one minute later, and fresh legs kept the centre compact. When Kian Parris arrived for Malouda in the 76th minute and Yassine Lachaab replaced Veljko Simic a minute later, the visitors prioritised protecting Stas Pokatilov rather than chasing more. The New Saints finally found a gap once Josh Lock replaced Brobbel in the 74th minute and, after Zaine Francis-Angol Nolan came on for Dan Redmond in the 83rd minute, Lock struck in the 89th minute to cut the deficit, but it was consolation only.
Key stats: The New Saints attempted 10 shots with four on target against Sabah FA’s 12 efforts and six on frame; possession finished 46 to 54; corners were level at three each.
With the tie lost, Harrison must steer his squad toward a domestic reset before continental qualifying resumes in another competition, while Dambrauskas now looks at travel plans and scouting reports for the next round. Elsewhere in the first qualifying round, see Drita 2-3 Kauno Žalgiris: Slivka brace delivers Lithuanian comeback for another twist in the bracket.
