Motherwell suffered a very disappointing defeat at the hands of Flamurtari in a match that wasn’t without its controversial moments.
Motherwell seemed to start the game well and kept good possession of the ball for the large majority of the first half with only limited threats from Flamurtari. However, this was to change when Odise Roshi came on for Flamurtari in the 36th minute.
Roshi was a constant threat throughout the match and almost scored in the 48th minute of injury time when he headed the ball against the top of the Motherwell crossbar from a corner kick.
Motherwell’s best chance arrived at the closing stages of the first half when Keith Lasley put a good cross into the box from the right and Steven McGarry headed the ball against the cross bar. He should have scored but couldn’t quite keep the ball down to put it past Mocka in the Flamurtari goal.
The second half continued in pretty much the same way as the first with Motherwell enjoying good possession and Flamarturi struggling to break through until the Austrian referee, Fritz Stuchlik intervened and created controversy that was to change the flow of the match.
Motherwell were awarded a free kick on the left, which was taken by Steven Hammell. A seemingly innocent challenge on John Sutton resulted in a penalty being given to Motherwell. John Sutton slotted the penalty home in the 56th minute but the referee ordered a retake for reasons still to be investigated.
The previously demoted referee, Stuchlik, may have seen an infringement by one or more of the Motherwell players entering the box before the penalty was taken or because Sutton took the penalty before the whistle was blown. In any event, it was a great chance squandered by Sutton who will be regretting his poorly taken second penalty that was saved easily by Mocka.
This event seemed to kick Flamurtari into action as they inevitably attacked more which resulted in a well taken goal by Emir Strati in the 65th minute. The goal came from a corner that was excellently chested down and controlled by Strati, who produced a strong shot past Fraser to the right hand side of the net. However, it was poorly defended by Motherwell as Sutton and the rest of the Motherwell defence seemed to watch it happen without putting in an effective challenge.
Motherwell tried to respond after the disappointment of losing the goal but it wasn’t to be their day. Jim Gannon’s men will have to produce a more effective performance next Thursday if they are to overturn this European tie. Motherwell will need to ensure they don’t concede in the second leg or it could be beyond them. It is sure to be an interesting second leg with Motherwell fans sure to give the fir park outfit a good reception on their return and effectively getting behind the team.