Motherwell's European run ended with a 7-2 aggregate defeat to Bundesliga side Freiburg in the Conference League play-offs. Manager Alfred Johansson argued the scoreline felt harsh after red cards in both legs disrupted his team's plans.
Freiburg took an early lead in the second leg at the Europa-Park Stadion through Derry Scherhant. Motherwell fought back to level the match at 1-1 thanks to Emmanuel Longelo, who capitalised on a blunder from Freiburg goalkeeper Mio Backhaus. The game turned just before the hour mark when Jake Girdwood-Reich was sent off for the Scottish side. Freiburg quickly scored two goals from set-pieces after the red card and added a late fourth through Keisuke Goto to seal a 4-1 victory on the night.
This followed a 3-1 first-leg loss at Fir Park, where Martin Moormann was also dismissed. Johansson told The Scotsman that the aggregate score did not reflect the balance of play at full strength. "I think that once again, 11 versus 11, we fight for 60 minutes, and we compete really, really well," he said. The manager calculated that across the 60 minutes of each leg played with even numbers, the score was 2-2. He noted his team conceded the other five goals during the periods they were down to 10 men.
Alfred Johansson expressed pride in his squad's effort despite the heavy aggregate defeat. "I’m very proud, and during those games, we’ve been trying to play together a new team without training," he stated. He acknowledged the team must learn from the experience of facing a top-level opponent like Freiburg, who were Europa League finalists. Johansson described the overall 7-2 defeat as feeling harsh given the circumstances but accepted the reality of the result.
With European football over for this season, Motherwell's attention returns fully to the Scottish Premiership. They currently sit 4th in the table with 4 points from their opening two matches, recording one win and one draw. Their form reads DW, and they have scored 2 goals while conceding just 1, giving them a +1 goal difference. The Steelmen are just 2 points behind early leaders Celtic.
The next challenge is a massive one, as they face Celtic away on December 26th. Building on their solid domestic start will be the immediate priority for Johansson and his players as they integrate the lessons from their European adventure.
Motherwell's journey to the play-off round included victories over HB Torshavn and HJK Helsinki. Reaching that stage represented a significant achievement for the club. The eventual exit against a seasoned European opponent like Freiburg, while disappointing, provided valuable experience for a squad still gelling. The manager's analysis suggests that maintaining discipline and playing with a full complement of players will be key in future campaigns.
