The New Saints are out of the Champions League after Sabah won 2-1 at Park Hall to complete a 4-1 aggregate victory in the first qualifying round.

Trailing 2-0 from the first leg in Azerbaijan a week previously, Saints made a promising start with a Jordan Williams header.

But first-half goals from Joy-Lance Mickels and Rahman Dashdamirov put the tie beyond the Cymru Premier champions.

Saints kept on pushing for an opening during the second half and substitute Josh Lock did net a consolation goal for the hosts a minute from time

But defeat means Craig Harrison's side now drop into the Uefa Conference League and will face Estonia's Flora Tallinn in the second qualifying round.

TNS' side showed one change from the first leg in Baku with Ben Clark making way for the experienced Ryan Brobbel.

Head coach Craig Harrison had insisted his side were still "well and truly in the tie" despite the defeat and they made an encouraging start to the second leg.

Jordan Williams had a good chance inside the opening four minutes, but keeper Stas Pokatilov gathered his header comfortably.

Brobbel and Eoin Farrell had efforts blocked as Saints probed for an opening during a good spell of pressure.

Sabah responded with a swift counter-attack spearheaded by Aaron Malouda - son of ex-Chelsea winger Florent Malouda - which ended with Joy-Lance Mickels blazing over.

Malouda was prominent in the move which led to the opening goal which he set up with a cut back into the penalty area for Mickels to slot home from close range.

Saints' already slim hopes of rescuing the tie were virtually ended when defender Dashdamirov netted following a corner to further extend Sabah's aggregate lead.

It could well have become even worse for the hosts a minute before the break , but Nathan Shepperd denied Malouda for what would have been a third goal.

With such a comfortable lead, Sabah could afford to sit back in the second half as Saints toiled for an opening.

Substitute Danny Davies found the side netting while Farrell fired high over the crossbar.

Sabah comfortably saw out the second half and had chances to extend the lead, with substitute Kareem Parris curling a shot wide of the post.

Saints earned a consolation a minute from time with a well-taken goal by Lock while in stoppage time Rhys Hughes' free-kick hit the post and Jack Bodenham's header came back off the crossbar.

But the Azerbaijan champions advance to the next round of the Champions League and will face KuPS of Finland.

For Saints their attention will now turn to the Uefa Conference League, which begins with a trip to Estonia next Thursday.

The New Saints head coach Craig Harrison told BBC Sport Wales: "We started really well, started on the front foot, created a couple of opportunities, but we've got to understand that against good teams, you've got to score when you start well and when you're on top.

"Give good players time and space and they're going to punish you. They're a good team, they've got some very good players.

"Ultimately, that first goal, knocked the stuffing out of us but the second goal before half-time, probably put the end to the tie.

"We just needed to make sure that we were spoke at half-time, that we get no injuries, don't get any suspensions and players get good minutes because we've got another game next week."