Motherwell took a firm grip on their Europa Conference League third qualifying round tie with a 2-0 home win over HJK. The game was goalless at the break, but Ibrahim Said's second-half double proved decisive. HJK rarely threatened, managing just one shot on target all evening.
Said broke the deadlock two minutes after the restart, turning in Alex Lowry's pass to make it 1-0. He added a second on 61 minutes, this time unassisted, to give Motherwell real breathing room. HJK did enjoy more corners and had plenty of the ball, but they could not turn it into clear chances. Alfie Cicale was booked in the 43rd minute and Alexander Ring followed in the 57th.
The standout number was shots on target: Motherwell had four to HJK's one, and Said accounted for two of them. Possession was dead level at 50-50, so this was not a game of one team dominating the ball, but Motherwell were far more clinical in the final third. HJK's seven corners told of territorial pressure, yet their inability to test the goalkeeper summed up their night.
