Hoppa till huvudinnehåll

Said brace sees Motherwell pass HJK test and reach Conference League play-offs

Ibrahim Said holds off HJK defenders
Ibrahim Said holds off HJK defendersMark Runnacles / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia

Motherwell are one of four Scottish clubs through to the play-off round of the UEFA Conference League (UECL) after two second-half goals saw off HJK in the second leg of their third qualifying round tie.

Motherwell 2-0 HJK (3-1 on aggregate)

A draw in Helsinki had put Motherwell in the driving seat ahead of the second leg, even if Teemu Pukki had cancelled out Tawanda Maswanhise's penalty on Finnish soil.

Just as in the first leg, not only did the opening 45 minutes pass without, but the Scottish side took the lead early in the second half. Alex Lowry was the architect, finding Ibrahim Said, whose fine finish showed HJK just how fortunate they were that he was not involved in the first leg.

But unlike the meeting in Helsinki, there would be no route back for HJK, Pukki-inspired or otherwise. Instead, the Well put real daylight between themselves and the visitors on the hour mark, using the same combination.

Again it was Lowry who found Said, and the Nigerian opened up his body and curled the ball home from just inside the area.

Producing just one shot on target across the 90 minutes, HJK didn't do enough to fight back, thus their European journey ends for another year. Motherwell now face the daunting task of facing last season's UEFA Europa League runners-up, SC Freiburg, for a first League Phase or Group Stage appearance in their history.

Review all the UECL results on Flashscore.