Sugarman full of pride despite Champions League exit

[Getty Images] Wrexham boss Jenny Sugarman remains "incredibly proud" of their achievements after getting knocked out of Women's Champions League qualifying. The Red Dragons suffered a 4-1 home defeat to Riga FC in the first round qualification final on Saturday evening, having taken the lead early on. Lili Jones' volley was cancelled out as the Latvian champions scored four second-half goals to reach the second round of qualifying at Wrexham's expense. Still, Sugarman, who guided Wrexham to their maiden league title in 2025-26, remains proud after leading the club to the first European win by a Welsh side since 2019. "I thought for the first 45 [minutes] we were excellent. We came out with intent and a game plan to really nullify some of their threats," she said. "Their number 11 [Miyu Takahira], in the second half, was outstanding, and really turned the screw on us. For 60 minutes we kept her incredibly quiet. "We've been beaten by a better side with some top quality individual players. I'm massively disappointed; we wanted this journey to go on. "Getting here was never quite the plan in the first season. We can be incredibly proud of what we've put out across those two games." Wrexham beat Armenian champions FC Pyunik 4-2 in their Women's Champions League debut at the Racecourse.