By Gareth James
Their Champions League dreams may be hanging by a thread after a 5-0 hammering in Budapest, but Welsh champions The New Saints still believe there is plenty to play for in their second qualifying round, second leg clash with Ferencvaros at Park Hall on Tuesday night (7.00pm kick-off).
The Hungarian champions of the past six years proved too strong on the night and in front of a near capacity 23,700 crowd at the Groupama Arena last week they gave their new head coach Pascal Jansen plenty to smile about.
But even with another defeat on Tuesday night, the TNS European adventure won’t be over.
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Having won their first qualifying round they will get a shot at the second tier Europa League, meeting either Santa Coloma, from Andorra, or Danish champions FC Midtjylland on 8 and 15 August.
“We have to approach the second leg as if the first game hadn’t happened. We want to go on and win the game and we have a very good record at Park Hall,” said TNS boss Craig Harrison.
“It will take a huge effort to overturn a five goal deficit and actually go through but that won’t stop us from trying to win the game. A win would be good for confidence and for UEFA co-efficiency points.
“It was a tough one to take because nobody likes getting beaten by five goals. I’m disappointed at the result but not by the attitude and application the players showed right to the end.
“They came at us really hard in the opening half-an-hour because they had a big crowd and it was their new manager’s first game in charge.
“But they showed us a lot of respect by picking their strongest team available.”
The New Saints vs Ferencváros – UEFA Champions League ticket update https://t.co/Uv6MAHxwiy pic.twitter.com/WSqJCvQOY4
— The New Saints FC (@tnsfc) July 25, 2024
That team included one of Hungary’s Euro 2024 goalkeepers in Denes Dibusz and their two wide men, 49 times capped Mali international Adama Traore and the 24-year-old Brazilian Marquinios, were a class apart.
Three goals in 10 minutes in the first half, two from the outstanding Traore and another from Kristoffer Zachariassen, gave the home side a massive boost and an impregnable lead.
“We had a few spells where we were brave and looked after the ball, but with the ferocity and intensity of the way they came at us it made it really tough,” admitted Harrison.
“But we were always in the game and working hard, and there wasn’t one second where we threw in the towel. We had a couple of opportunities and for me there was a stonewall penalty.
“At 3-0 we hit the crossbar and then they went on to score the next goal.”
Craig Harrison Admits The New Saints Took A Hungarian Hammering In Europe
Skipper Danny Redmond admitted: “There are plenty of things to learn from to take into the next leg and we want to give a good account of ourselves back at home.
“Even so, it is going to be another tough night at the office.”
The same is true for Euro new boys Caernarfon Town, who were beaten 6-0 by Legia Warsaw in the Polish capital in their second qualifying round Europa Conference League tie. Trailing 2-0 at the break in a completely empty stadium, due to a Uefa ban on Legia fans, the Cofis went on to concede four more in the second half with Marc Gual grabbing a hat-trick.
The teams meet again in the second leg at Bangor’s Nantporth venue on Thursday 1 August.