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Crusaders ended their Europa League campaign with heads held high following a second leg draw with Swedish side IF Brommapojkarna at Seaview.

Trailing by four goals from the first leg, it was always going to be a well nigh impossible task for Stephen Baxter's side to progress.

The Crues started the game brightly, moving in front after 17 minutes through skipper Colin Coates after he got on the end of a Stephen Cockcroft delivery to nod the ball past 'keeper Davor Blažević.

Then, three minutes later, Cockcroft himself turned a header onto the woodwork after Coates had flicked on a Chris Morrow free-kick.

However, Brommapojkarna hit back on 27 minutes through former Malmo striker Dardan Rexhepi when he volleyed home a Kristinn Jonsson set piece at the back post.

Serge Junior Martinsson-Ngouali almost fired the visitors into the lead nine minutes from the break only to turn the ball the wrong side of the upright.

Jordan Owens might have restored Crusaders' lead on the night with a 51st minute header from a Coates free-kick before forcing the Swedish custodian to flip another effort over after Gary McCutcheon had supplied the cross.

Crusaders: O'Neill, Burns, Leeman, Coates, McClean, Cockcroft, Morrow, R. Clarke, O'Carroll, Owens, Heatley subs Duffin (not used), Magowan (replaced Coates 81), Snoddy (replaced Morrow 57), Whyte (not used), O'Hanlon (not used), McCutcheon (replaced Cockcroft 63), Dillon (not used)

IF Brommapojkarna: Blažević, Jónsson, Björkström, Starfelt, J. Larsson, Karlström, Petrovic, Asbrink, Sandberg Magnusson, Ngouali, Rexhepi subs Vazgec (not used), Mauricio Albornoz (replaced Karlström 68), Bärkroth (not used), Vecchia (replaced Asbrink 64), Falkeborn (not used), Söderström (replaced Sandberg Magnusson 79)