Nomads exit Champions' League in extra time heartbreak

Connah's Quay Nomads were defeated 1-0 by Alashkert in Armenia on Tuesday evening after a 112th minute goal from Vincent Bezecourt.

In the first leg, goals from Craig Curran and George Horan cancelled out a David Khurtsidze brace, keeping the tie all level at 2-2 ahead of Nomads' trip to the Armenian capital or Yerevan.

Despite a valiant performance against the odds, the result sees Nomads exit the Champions League and enter the Europa Conference League at the second qualifying round stage.

• Nomads made 3,000 mile journey to Yerevan after sealing 2-2 first leg draw
• Tom Moore and Jordan Davies made full UCL debuts
• Connah's Quay frustrated Alashkert to force extra time
• 112th heartbreak as Bezecourt goal sent the hosts through
• Nomads will now face FC Prishtina in the Europa Conference League

The game marked one of The Nomads' biggest ever away trips as they were faced with a journey to Yerevan, only 60 miles from the Iranian border, for a place in the second qualifying round against Moldova's Sheriff Tiraspol.

It also presented major logistical challenges, as whilst the club recorded no positive tests, self-isolation rules for part-time players and injuries meant they travelled with a 15-man squad without George Horan, Michael Wilde, Jay Owen, Danny Holmes, Danny Harrison and Tom Bibby.

This saw Andy Morrison make changes to his squad which saw Tom Moore and Jordan Davies handed full club debuts, with Callum Morris wearing the captain's armband as well as academy graduates Harry Owen and Charlie Holland on the bench.

The game kicked off at the Republican Stadium in front of a sizeable crowd, with Nomads quickly establishing their highly disciplined defensive shape, which would go onto hold Alashkert for well over 100 minutes.

The hosts were constantly looking to create chances in the final third, with Jose Embalo racing in in the 8th minute only to see the ball run out for a goal kick.

There was also encouraging play from Nomads, with Jordan Davies going on good runs down the wing and Tom Moore heading just over from a Mullan cross.

In the 19th, Aleksandar Glisic nearly connected with a through ball putting him clear on goal, but was beaten to it by Nomads' keeper Ollie Byrne who rushed out to collect.

10 minutes later Nomads had one of their best chances of the half, when Craig Curran got down the right wing and sent a low cross to Insall, who flicked the ball just wide of goal.

Despite their efforts, Alashkert were kept out by Nomads in the first half thanks to a multitude of blocks, tackles and great skill from the likes of John Disney, Tom Moore and Kris Owens.

Their efforts continued into the second half, where they were not only battling against full internationals but also the weather, with the remainder of the game played in torrential rain, thunder, and lightning.

In the 53rd, Ollie Byrne made a good low save resulting in a corner, which was cleared away by the Nomads defence which remained resolute as Alashkert looked to turn the pressure up in Yerevan.

Just before the hour mark, Nomads created two great chances within two minutes of each other, with a curling effort from Jamie Mullan stopped from going into the top right corner by the fingertips of keeper David Yurchenko in the 57th.

Then in the 59th, Jordan Davies went clear in front of goal, but Yurchenko again denied Nomads the lead by coming off his line to make a sweeping save.

At the opposite end, Ollie Byrne was in fantastic form, making several saves within six minutes of each other, including a double save in the 69th to keep out Sargis Hovsepan and Artak Yedigaryan.

With just 20 minutes to go, both sides had enjoyed good chances and Connah's Quay were well in the game as it approached its latter stages, knowing that extra time would be played if the score was goalless after 90 minutes.

And this became reality thanks to a monumental shift from all Nomads players on the field, with Tom Moore repeatedly dealing with attacks from Alashkert and the likes of Kris Owens and Jamie Mullan covering ground constantly to block them on the wing.

Extra time got underway amongst the storm still covering the Republican Stadium, and Alashkert, eager to find a breakthrough, went close early on with Nikita Tankov scuppering shots in the 6th and 8th in the crowded Nomads area.

The game was end-to-end at this point, seen when Declan Poole stepped in with a vital tackle to stop Grigor Aghekyan going clear on the Nomads' goal on 10 minutes, and Jordan Davies nearly setting up Jamie Insall in the Alashkert area after another darting run down the wing.

There was a heart in mouth moment at the end of the first half of extra time, when a corner took a deflection in the box and went across the face of the Nomads' goal.

The interval saw Nomads make their first change as Jamie Insall was replaced by Aron Williams, who quickly got involved with a run down the left flank in the 106th minute with no red shirt able to convert his cross.

With just 10 minutes of extra time to be played, Nomads were still standing up to the Armenian champions, and the prospect of the tie being decided by a penalty shootout was becoming a real possibility.

But in the 112th minute there was heartbreak for Andy Morrison's side as Alashkert's fifth substitute Vincent Bezecourt broke the deadlock with a low strike into the bottom left corner, sparking relieved celebration in the home crowd.

Nomads battled on to the end, with their final substitution handing Harry Owen an 18th birthday to remember, making his Nomads debut after coming on for Jamie Mullan.

At full time after extra time, Connah's Quay were out of the Champions League but had represented Wales well with one of their strongest ever performances on the European stage.

They will now start preparations for their Europa League Conference clash against Prishtina FC of Kosovo, at Stadiumi Fadil Vokrri for a 7pm kick off on Tuesday 20 July.

Match Photos

Match Report by Will Catterall