UEFA Conference League
Fir Park
Motherwell
Motherwell
2 0
HJK Helsinki
HJK Helsinki
Ibrahim Said 47' Ibrahim Said 60'
13 Aug 2026

Motherwell 2-0 HJK Helsinki (3-1 agg): Ibrahim Said at the double, and the tour continues

Marc Christie 5 min read
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Ibrahim Said at the double, two going on five, and the claret and amber European tour keeps on keeping on.

Thursday night, August the 13th, felt like a seismic shift at Fir Park. Another crowd of 8,000, with home fans in every stand. King Alfred’s reign really seemed to kick off at 7.30 that evening. A slightly nervy start, with HJK hitting the side netting early on, but other than that there was no real worry. It was never a matter of “if”. It was only ever a matter of “when”. The first half came and went with that frustration bubbling away, but an Ibrahim Said goal immediately after the break had the confidence up, before Said doubled his tally (and ours) in the 60th minute. The match was done. Europe continues, and a glamour tie against Freiburg awaits.

Line-ups

Motherwell · 4-2-3-1 HJK Helsinki · 4-2-3-1

Motherwell

Substitutes

Unused

Matty Connelly, Zander McAllister, Aaron Thomson, Luca Ross, Jack McConnell, Robbie Hunter, Lucas Weir

Head coach

Alfred Johansson

HJK Helsinki

  • 44 Matej Marković
  • 13 Kaius Simojoki
  • 6 Ville Tikkanen Off at 68′
  • 5 A. Nallo
  • 14 Leonel Montano
  • 4 Alexander Ring Off at 75′
  • 8 Pyry Mentu
  • 18 Toivo Mero
  • 29 Santeri Haarala Off at 68′
  • 7 Alfie Cicale Off at 79′
  • 9 Mads Borchers Off at 68′

Substitutes

  • 3 Till Cissokho On at 68′
  • 17 Martin Kirilov On at 68′
  • 20 Teemu Pukki On at 68′
  • 32 Mouhamed Guèye On at 75′
  • 26 L. Lappalainen On at 79′

Unused

Jesse Öst, M. Haapanen, Miska Ylitolva, Lucas Lingman, J. Kallinen

Head coach

Joonas Rantanen

Match report

A first half of everything but the finish The first half began with a nervy edge. HJK went close after three minutes, a long ball catching out Emmanuel Longelo and finding Toivo Mero. Manny caught back up, but a clever cut inside followed. The cut

Alex Lowry Alex Paulsen Alfred Johansson HJK Helsinki Ibrahim Said Jake Girdwood-Reich Joonas Rantanen Match Report Motherwell FC UEFA Conference League

From the archive

Marc Christie

Staff writer at The Steelmen Dispatch. Motherwell supporter covering match reports, features, and European football. Fir Park regular.

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