The New Saints became the first Welsh Premier side to gather points at the group stage of a major European competition by beating Astana 2-0.
Rory Holden’s header five minutes before the break paved the way for a historic Conference League victory, which was wrapped up in the final quarter after Branimir Kalaica handled a powerful shot from substitute Adam Wilson.
Declan McManus sent his 78th penalty down the middle as Aleksandr Zarutskiy dived to his right, and there was no route back for the Kazakhstan visitors after that.
Shrewsbury’s Croud Meadow played host to Welsh football’s big night with Uefa regulations preventing TNS from playing at their Oswestry home 20 miles away. Astana had made a marathon trip to Shropshire on Tuesday with a nine-hour flight to London and a three-hour coach journey to their Telford base.
They had beaten the Serbian side TSC in this competition three weeks ago, but domestic matters were clearly on their mind and they left 11 players at home before Sunday’s Kazakhstan Premier League clash against Aktobe.
TNS – fresh from a 16-0 Welsh Cup record-equalling victory over Llangollen – would have been lifted by news of facing Astana’s second string after losing their Conference League opener 2-0 at Fiorentina.
Connor Roberts had excelled himself at the Artemio Franchi Stadium by keeping Fiorentina out for 65 minutes, but he was almost beaten straight away as Ramazan Karimov’s shot bounced off a post.
Astana failed to make their bulk of possession count as attacks broke down in the final third, and their carelessness was punished before the interval. McManus held the ball up well and Ryan Brobbel sprayed a delightful pass to the left. Williams was played into space and Holden – who has trod the Football League boards at Rochdale, Barrow, Walsall and Port Vale – dispatched his inviting cross with a superb header.
Astana pushed for an equaliser and Nnamdi Ahanonu rattled the woodwork with Roberts’ touch proving vital, but their resistance was ended as McManus kept his cool from 12 yards.
The manager, Craig Harrison, now believes TNS can make more history by securing a place in the knockout stage. “I think seven points and a good goal difference will do. Eight points definitely. If we get seven points we’d be really disappointed if we didn’t make that top 24,” he said.
Chelsea eased to a commanding 4-1 win against Panathinaikos on an emotional night in Athens as João Félix scored twice to maintain their perfect start in the Conference League.
It was a poignant occasion for the Greek side who mourned the death of defender George Baldock, a tragedy made to feel all the more immediate by the fact the 31-year-old was in the starting XI the last time the team played at home on 6 October, three days before his passing.
Prior to kick-off, a live band gave a rendition of David Bowie’s Starman before the stadium observed a moment’s silence in his memory. Paying their own tribute, the visitors posed with a Chelsea shirt bearing Baldock’s name and number 32.
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Félix scored after 22 minutes to quieten the Olympic Stadium before Enzo Maresca’s side let rip in the second half, scoring three times in the first 15 minutes after the interval to blow the home side away and lay bear a chasmic gulf in class.
Mykhailo Mudryk answered Maresca’s pre-match challenge to finally show his value with a well-taken header before Félix got his second and Christopher Nkunku slotted in a penalty. Former Manchester United winger Facundo Pellistri tapped home a second-half consolation.
Neil Critchley’s sure-footed start as Hearts boss continued after a comfortable 2-0 home win over Omonia Nicosia maintained the Edinburgh side’s perfect beginning to their Conference League campaign.
Buoyed by a 4-0 victory over St Mirren on Saturday in the former Blackpool and QPR manager’s first game since replacing Steven Naismith, the Jambos made it two wins in as many matches under the Englishman as they eased past their Cypriot visitors with first-half goals from Alan Forrest and Blair Spittal.
Hearts, who remain joint-bottom of the Scottish Premiership with Edinburgh rivals Hibernian, are joint-top of the fledgling Conference League table and firmly on course to stay involved in European competition beyond Christmas for the first time since reaching the quarter-final of the Uefa Cup in 1988-89.
Hearts signalled their intent when Spittal volleyed over from the edge of the box with just 15 seconds on the clock. Critchley’s fired-up side threatened again when Lawrence Shankland drove menacingly into the box but the captain was unable to get a shot away.
The hosts’ aggressive start paid off in the 16th minute when Spittal’s effort from outside the box deflected off Senou Coulibaly and Forrest pounced on the loose ball to lash a ferocious angled strike high past Fabiano from eight yards out.
In the 23rd minute, Hearts doubled their lead when Spittal fired home an emphatic right-foot finish from 16 yards out after Shankland’s back-heel ricocheted nicely into his path off Kenneth Vargas.
Source: theguardian.com
