‘We contributed to our own downfall’ – Higgins
Coleraine manager Ruaidhrí Higgins said his side helped cause their own 5-0 defeat by HJK in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League second qualifying-round tie. The result leaves the Northern Irish club facing an extremely difficult task in next week’s home leg, with Higgins particularly frustrated by the defending and timing of the goals conceded.
HJK led 2-0 at half-time through Liam Moller and Pyry Mentu, before Toivo Mero and a Teemu Pukki double completed the rout. Higgins said Coleraine were makeshift and short of match fitness compared with opponents in the middle of their domestic season, but refused to use that as an excuse; Aidan Wilson and Mark Coyle also left the match with suspected serious injuries.
- Coleraine lost 5-0 to HJK in Conference League qualifying.
- Higgins blamed poor defending, not fitness or injuries.
- Two Coleraine players suffered potentially serious injuries.
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Coleraine is a football club from Northern Ireland competing in the UEFA Conference League, Europe's third-tier club competition for teams across the continent. They faced Finnish club HJK in the first leg of a two-legged knockout tie, suffering a heavy 5-0 defeat with goals scored in both halves.
The large away defeat leaves Coleraine facing an extremely difficult task in the second leg next week, needing to overturn a five-goal deficit on their home ground. Overturning such margins in European football is rare, though not mathematically impossible.
Manager Ruaidhrí Higgins acknowledged that his team contributed to the defeat through defensive mistakes and errors in decision-making. He also noted that Coleraine faced disadvantages including a squad lacking match fitness compared to HJK, who are in their domestic season, and the loss of two players to suspected serious injuries during the match.