SAINTS’ progression to the Europa League group stages is in jeopardy after they were held to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their play-off with FC Midtjylland.

The Danish champions will head home next week with a potentially vital away goal, after St Mary’s academy graduate Tim Sparv netted on his return to his former club.

But Ronald Koeman’s side at least head to the MCH Arena level, after Jay Rodriguez cancelled out Sparv’s opener with a penalty early in the second half.

 

Koeman made four changes to the side that lost to Everton last weekend, with Steven Caulker, Oriol Romeu, James Ward-Prowse and Rodriguez coming into the side, while Cedric Soares, Steven Davis, Dusan Tadic and Shane Long dropped out.

It was Saints who were on the front foot early on, and they should have led after six minutes, as Victor Wanyama’s long ball sent Jay Rodriguez in behind the Midtjylland defence, but, with just keeper Johan Dahlin to beat, he pulled his shot wide.

Dahlin was then equal to Mane’s shot across goal from 20 yards, before Steven Caulker looped a header just wide of the far post from Ward-Prowse’s deep free-kick.

The visitors’ first real opportunity arrived on the quarter-hour mark.

Kian Hansen’s cross from the right was only cleared as far as Petter Andersson on the edge of the area, but he dragged his right-foot volley just wide of the post.

Maarten Stekelenburg was then called into action ten minutes later, springing to his left to superbly tip away Erik Sviatchenko’s close-range header, after Saints had been unable to clear Hansen’s long throw.

Stekelenburg could do nothing to stop Sparv’s effort right on half-time, though, as the midfielder controlled a headed clearance from Jose Fonte 25 yards out and then drilled a low right-footer into the bottom corner.

Sparv chose not to celebrate his strike against his former club, but the small band of travelling fans at the opposite end of the ground had no such moral quandary and went wild at their side securing a valuable away goal.

The strike did at least sting Saints into action after half-time, with Steven Caulker having a goal chalked off within minutes of the restart for climbing on his marker to head in a Ward-Prowse corner.

But the equaliser did arrive – via a penalty – in the 56th minute, as Graziano Pelle chested a long ball down to Ward-Prowse, who took a touch and was tripped by Hansen just inside the area.

Rodriguez stepped up to take the spot kick, sending Dahlin the wrong way for his first competitive goal since March 2014.

In the 65th minute, Saints came close to turning the game completely on its head, but Caulker’s misfortune continued, as his thumping header from Ward-Prowse’s in-swinging free-kick was brilliantly tipped over from close range by Dahlin.

Matt Targett perhaps should have scored with a quarter-of-an-hour left, but he sent his left foot shot wide of the far post, after a deflected Ward-Prowse shot had fallen into his path in a brilliant position inside the area.

Despite pressing the rest of the way, Saints could not find a winner, and now face a nervy night in Denmark next Thursday.

SAINTS: Stekelenburg, Caulker, Fonte, Yoshida, Targett, Wanyama, Romeu, Ward-Prowse (Juanmi 83), Mané, Rodriguez (Long 76), Pellè.

Subs: K Davis, Cédric, S. Davis, Tadić, Martina.

MIDTJYLLAND: Dahlin, Romer, Sviatchenko, Hansen, Lauridsen, Sparv, Sisto (Hassan 71), Andersson, Royer, Poulsen, Royer, Rasmussen (Onuachu 89).

Subs: Andersen, Pusic, Urena, Olsson, Banggard.

Ref: Clement Turpin