Champions League qualifying: The New Saints 0-2 BK Hacken (Agg 1-5) - Cymru Premier champions go out

The New Saints must wait to discover who they will face in the Europa Conference League

Cymru Premier champions the New Saints are out of Champions League qualifying following their second leg defeat by BK Hacken of Sweden at Park Hall.

The hosts side went into the encounter 3-1 down after the first leg.

Saints fell behind to Ibrahim Sadiq's first-half opener and substitute Momodou Sonko struck at the death.

Saints drop into the Europa Conference League and will host Swift Hesper of Luxembourg.

Swift Hesper were beaten over two legs by Slovakia's Slovan Bratislava and drop into the Conference League.

Hacken go on to take on Ki Klaksvik of the Faroe Islands in the Champions League second qualifying round.

Saints started well, but their slim chances of overhauling the visitors ended when Sadiq struck the opener, having also done so as they won 3-1 in the first leg in Gothenburg.

Sadiq's shot took a deflection as it beat Connor Roberts' dive at the post in the 19th minute.

Roberts blocked another effort from the Ghana Under-20s international with his legs soon after.

Craig Harrison's Cymru Premier champions barely threatened in the opening period against the team who went into this game second in Sweden's top-flight Allsvenskan.

Harrison had left the strike power of Declan McManus on the bench with the former Scotland Under-21s international nursing an injury in the build-up.

Saints were livelier after the break with Ben Clark prominent as they sought an equaliser, but their efforts proved in vain.

Having held out during Saints' best spell, Hacken threatened through Mikkel Rygaard, a scorer in the first leg, but his whipped shot flew narrowly over the bar.

At the other end substitute Ash Baker was twice denied by goalkeeper Peter Abrahamsson.

Saints battled to the end, but after being unable to equalise, Sonko finished Hacken's work for the evening.

Saints boss Craig Harrison told S4C: "It played out how I thought it was going to play out. They're a very good team. You look at it and as good as they are, they score a deflection early on in the game and it's really tough.

"It's an uphill battle anyway and it was an even tough uphill battle (after the opening goal).

"I thought we acquitted ourselves very, very well. The players stuck at it and we had some opportunities in the second half, but they're a very good team and I can't be disappointed in the effort that all the players gave."