Queen of the South 1 - 2 FC Nordsjaelland: A historical night for Queen of the South also proved to be a chastening one. Last season's Scottish Cup finalists made their long-awaited debut in European competition last night, but the outcome has left them with a mountain to climb.

Queen of the South 1 - 2 FC Nordsjaelland
Scorers. Queen of the South - O'Connor (26); FC Nordsjaelland - Kibebe (2), Bernier (32)

A historical night for Queen of the South also proved to be a chastening one. Last season's Scottish Cup finalists made their long-awaited debut in European competition last night, but the concession of two away goals leaves them with a mountain to climb for the return leg. The home side entered the UEFA Cup at the second qualifying stage due to their swashbuckling run to the final of the Scottish Cup, where they narrowly lost to Rangers in May.

In that memorable run, they proved their indomitable spirit and attack-minded approach, fostered under Gordon Chisholm. European football, though, is an altogether different story. FC Nordsjaelleand, who play in the Danish Super League, are hardly a giant of the European game but the side managed by former Celtic midfielder Morten Weighorst proved themselves to be technically superior opponents, particularly in the first half.

The Queens team has remained largely unchanged since the memorable day at Hampden in May, but there was little of the vitality and spirit that characterised that performance. Despite the visitors' superiority, Queens also proved to be their own worst enemies and were punished twice in the first half for poor defending. On the basis of last night's performance, Queens will struggle to overcome the Danes in the second leg a week on Tuesday, but they proved last season that they are capable of flourishing in the face of adversity.

An electrical storm and flash floods nearly led to the postponement of this match as ground-staff frantically worked to clear large volumes of water from the pitch. A fire crew were also called upon to pump water from an access road to the stadium as Lanarkshire youngsters splashed around in the massive puddles. Mihaly Fabian, the Hungarian referee, finally deemed the pitch playable with less than an hour remaining to kick off. The conditions led to a flurry of late arrivals into Airdrie's Excelsior stadium, where the tie was played. The Dumfries side would have commanded a bigger crowd had the match been played at Palmerston Park, but the venue did not meet Uefa's criteria on all-seated stadiums.

Chisholm had stressed the need for his side to avoid losing an early goal but that is exactly what happened with just two minutes gone. There was an element of farce in the lead-up to the opener when Jim Thomson attempted to shepherd the ball out for a goal-kick, but fell over on the sodden surface and conceded a corner. Patrice Bernier swung the corner to the edge of the six-yard box and Benjamin Kibebe popped up unattended to nudge the ball past Bryn Halliwell, the Queens keeper. It was a cruel blow for the home side and they spent the next 10 minutes attempting to regroup. A slaloming run from Paul Burns after a quarter of an hour helped rouse the home support and kindled hope that Queens could edge their way back into the tie. Nordsjaelland played a quick, incisive passing game that was well suited to the slick surface and Soren Christensen's neat pass sent Stephan Petersen haring through on goal, but he lashed his shot off the crossbar. The home side continued to try and build up a head of steam, but were always susceptible to the counter-attack and Jamie McQuilken had to be sharp to hook Petersen's goalbound shot off the line midway through the half.

Chisholm's side were struggling to cope with the visitors on the deck, but clearly had the measure of them in the air. The towering presence of Sean O'Connor had already caused a few palpitations among the visiting defence before he claimed the opener in the 28th minute. It was a goal of simplicity in its fashioning and execution. McQuilken's free-kick from the left found O'Connor, who rose highest to power an emphatic header into the net. The home side failed to build on the initiative, however, and fell behind once again in the 32nd minute. The Queens defence were caught napping as Simon Richter threaded a ball through to Bernier inside the box, who slotted home.

With Chisholm's words ringing in their ears, Queens started the second half brightly and Stewart Kean tried his luck with a volley. Queens introduced Stephen Dobbie for Gary Arbuckle at the interval and last season's top scorer almost restored parity with a driven shot that Jesper Hansen, the Nordsjaelland goalkeeper, managed to scoop round the post. Queens continued to probe and Steve Tosh looped an effort just over the bar with 20 minutes remaining. By this stage, the Danes were happy to sit in and protect their lead and Queens struggled to pierce their two banks of four. Dobbie nearly released O'Connor in the dying moments but the striker failed to latch on to his flick-on.