Glasgow Warriors turned a 7-21 half-time deficit into a 24-21 lead going into the final five minutes of this Champions Cup thriller at the Stoop, but were undone by late score from Harlequins hooker Sam Riley as the home side won 28-24.

It was a heartbreaking finale for the visitors, who had travelled south hoping to break new ground by winning a knockout tie in European rugby's top-tier competition for the first time. It was Quins who ended up achieving that feat and they will now face either Bordeaux or Saracens in the quarter-finals next weekend.

Marcus Smith produced a masterclass on a noisy night in south-west London, pulling the strings and scored a delightful solo try to ensure Danny Wilson’s reunion with his former employers was a happy one. The Harlequins coach spent two years in charge at Scotstoun and was entitled to savour the moment against the club who dispensed with his services in 2022.

Harlequins' Marcus Smith (centre) scores their second try during the narrow win over Glasgow Warriors.

It was a desperately disappointing conclusion for Glasgow who started brightly but then found themselves under the pump for almost the entirety of a first half in which they conceded 12 penalties to Quins’ two and had Sione Tuipulotu sin-binned. They turned it around after the break, curbing the penalty count and playing with a vibrancy which had them in the driving seat going into the final minutes. But they paid the price for not making the most of a yellow card for Joe Marler as they kicked to the corner rather than taking the points.

They could not have wished for a better start. There were only two minutes and 45 seconds on the clock when Scott Cummings burrowed over for the opening try. Tuiupulotu got things going off the back off a lineout and Glasgow built the attack. Tom Jordan played a significant part before Cummings finished things off after 15 phases.

Horne converted but Warriors handed the initiative back to Quins immediately. Jordan fumbled the kick-off and the hosts turned down an easy three points in favour of kicking for the corner. The game then settled into a pattern of Quins going to the corner and trusting their lineout as an attacking platform but the Warriors were doing their best to disrupt.

The pressure was all one way and Caden Murley looked to have crossed in the corner for Wilson’s team only to lose the ball as he tried to ground it. Kudos to Stafford McDowall for putting him off, but Quins kept coming. Alex Dombrandt made a superb break, then Glasgow lost Kyle Rowe to a head injury. With Jamie Dobie on in his pace, the home team found the equalising score. Esterhuizen got the try but Smith put it in a plate for him with an inch-perfect diagonal cross-kick which the big centre just has to collect and dot down.

Glasgow Warriors' Sione Tuipulotu passes the ball on his comeback for the team.

It was what they deserved and worse was to come for the Warriors. They had already been warned about the number of penalties they were conceding and there was a certain inevitably about the yellow card for Tuipulotu in the 32nd minute. Quins capitalised straight away. From a scrum, Smith danced round the short-handed visitors for a lovely solo try.

The England fly-half then set up Murley for Quins’ third try, this one coming in first-half injury time. Smith converted all three as his team went in at the break 21-7 ahead. Fourteen of their first-half points came while Tuipulotu was in the sin-bin.

The centre returned for the second half and Glasgow looked re-energised. They dominated from the re-start and scored two tries in two minutes to draw level. Johnny Matthews nabbed the first, finishing off a lineout drive with the help of Rory Darge after 50 minutes. Horne converted then scored the next try himself. Dobie collected an awkward bouncing ball in midfield before sidestepping Tyrone Green and feeding Kyle Steyn. The captain played the ball back inside to his scrum-half to finish.

The momentum was all Glasgow’s and Horne edged them ahead with a close-range penalty. Things got even better a few seconds later when Marler was sin-binned for a high hit on Darge. Remarkably, it was the 22nd yellow card of the prop’s Quins career. The Warriors had turned things around and they continued to attack. Now it was the visitors’ turn to kick to the corner instead of taking the points but they had nothing to show for it and Marler returned to the fray with no further points conceded.

It was to prove costly. Quins moved up the field and suddenly it was the Warriors on the back foot. Riley, the substitute hooker, delivered the game’s big moment, scoring off a lineout drive to put the home side back in front. Smith converted to extend the lead to 28-24, leaving Glasgow in need of a try with only three minutes remaining. They tried manfully to rescue it, putting together 20 phases before Duncan Weir tried to find Horne with an ambitious cross-kick. It was a brave effort but it just eluded the scrum-half and the ball went dead. Game over.

Scorers – Harlequins: Tries: Esterhuizen, Smith, Murley, Riley. Cons: Smith 4. Glasgow Warriors – Tries: Cummings, Matthews, Horne. Cons: Horne 3. Pens: Horne

Yellow cards: Tuipulotu (Glasgow, 32min), Marler (Harlequins, 61min)

Harlequins: T Green; L Lynagh, O Beard, A Esterhuizen, C Murley; M Smith, D Care; F Baxter (J Marler h-t), J Walker (S Riley 68), W Collier (D Lewis 58), I Herbst (J Launchbury 53), G Hammond, S Lewies (T Lawday 68-72), W Evans, A Dombrandt.

Glasgow Warriors: J McKay; K Steyn, S McDowall, S Tuipulotu, K Rowe (J Dobie 20); T Jordan (D Weir 68), G Horne; N McBeth (O Kebble 60), J Matthews (G Hiddleston 60), Z Fagerson (L Sordoni 60), M Williamson (S Manjezi 60), S Cummings, M Fagerson (H Venter 60), R Darge, J Dempsey.

Referee: Tual Trainini (Fra).

Glasgow Warriors' big fightback is all in vain as Harlequins edge Champions Cup thriller

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