Motherwell's fairytale European run came to an end with a 4-1 defeat to Freiburg in the Conference League playoff second leg. The Bundesliga side, who reached the Europa League final just months ago, proved too strong for the Scottish club, who were always facing an uphill battle against a team that spent over £30 million this summer.
Costly Discipline Issues
Motherwell's downfall was partly self-inflicted, with Jake Girdwood-Reich sent off in this match following Martin Moormann's red card in the previous leg. Such discipline lapses proved costly against quality opposition, though the players gave their all over the two legs.
Freiburg's goals came from Derry Scherhant, Igor Matanovic, Cyriaque Irie, and Keisuke Goto, while Emmanuel Longelo scored Motherwell's equaliser at one point. Despite the convincing aggregate result, Motherwell had done themselves proud by getting past Havnar Boltfelag and HJK.
Pyro Could Prove Expensive
Before the match, Motherwell directors urged their 1,400 travelling fans to behave, as a small minority's antics had already cost the club nearly €100,000 in fines and damage to an LED advertising board in Helsinki. However, pyro was set off from the away section before kick-off, and more was released late in the game, likely leading to another UEFA fine. The PA system announced: "It is a criminal offence, please stop immediately."
Early Fire and a Brief Fightback
With temperatures at 30 degrees at kick-off, Freiburg turned up the heat with a sixth-minute opener. Maximilian Eggestein's pass cut through the Motherwell defence, allowing Scherhant to race clear and curl a shot past Alex Paulsen. Freiburg looked dangerous, with Paulsen and Ewan Wilson making important blocks.
Motherwell equalised in the 22nd minute after a turnover led to a three-on-two situation. Longelo's low shot from over 20 yards was spilled into his own net by Freiburg's new £14-million signing Mio Backhaus. The visitors nearly went ahead before the interval, but Backhaus redeemed himself by tipping Palmer-Houlden's shot wide.
Red Card Proves Turning Point
The game turned when Scherhant got in behind Girdwood-Reich, who made a clumsy attempt to play the ball and took down the Freiburg man. Italian referee Andrea Colombo immediately showed a red card. Paulsen saved the resulting free kick, but from the subsequent corner, Matanovic headed in. Three minutes later, Irie headed in another Scherhant corner, and substitute Goto finished it off with a shot Paulsen couldn't keep out.
