91�ȱ�

The New Saints bowed out of the Champions League in spite of a battling display in a 1-0 second qualifying round second-leg defeat by Legia Warsaw.

Vladimir Dvalishvili's 53rd-minute goal gave the Polish champions a 4-1 aggregate win over the Welsh club.

Craig Harrison's team put up a stubborn display in defence, with goalkeeper Paul Harrison in fine form.

But they never looked like overturning a 3-1 defeat in the first leg in Wales.

Manager Craig Harrison had warned his players to expect a "wall of noise" in Warsaw, and the home crowd did not disappoint.

The Welsh club were under pressure from the opening minutes as Legia exploited space down both flanks to create a series of overlaps.

Goalkeeper and captain Paul Harrison was forced into action in the fifth minute when he dived low to his right to turn Miroslav Radovic's low shot past the post.

The Saints then went close when Michael Wilde just failed to get on the end of Chris Marriott's deep cross, with home goalkeeper Dusan Kuciak scrambling.

But for the most of the first half TNS were forced to defend, with Marriott and Aeron Edwards throwing themselves into challenges to deflect shots from Radovic and Dvalishvili away from the goal.

And right-back Dosa Junior, unmarked from a corner, missed a golden opportunity when he headed over from six yards.

TNS were given another let-off from a set-piece when Dvalishvili's powerful header was saved brilliantly by Harrison as the Saints somehow reached half-time without having conceded.

But it could not last, and Dvalishvili finally broke the deadlock eight minutes into the second half when he latched on to Radovic's pass and slotted the ball through Harrison's legs.

Dominik Furman then hit the crossbar with a shot, and Saints substitute Greg Draper had a good chance with his first touch.

The Polish team dominated to the end, but could not find a way past more brave defending from the Saints, with Furman denied late on by Edwards's goalline clearance.