St Johnstone beaten in Armenia in Europa League qualifying first leg

Scottish side St Johnstone have been beaten 1-0 in the first leg of their Europa League qualifying tie against Armenian side Alashkert FC.

The hosts were on top from the off in sweltering Yerevan, and Alan Mannus had to make several saves early on to keep the scoreline goalless.

The Saints' first chance arrived shortly before the half-hour mark as John Sutton and David Wotherspoon linked up before the latter's shot was pushed around the post by Gevorg Kasparov.

The winning goal arrived in the 59th minute when Alashkert substitute Mihran Manasyan blasted high into the net from 12 yards just seconds after being introduced.

Tam Scobbie and Chris Kane had chances late on to grab an equaliser for the Scottish outfit, but they weren't taken as Alashkert held out for a halfway advantage in the tie.

The second leg takes place in a week's time at McDiarmid Park in Perth.