Coleraine 2-2 Motherwell: Scots edge through on penalties
- Published
Carson the hero as Motherwell defeat Coleraine in shootout
Trevor Carson was 10-man Motherwell's shootout hero as a hat-trick of saves cleaved out a nerve-wracking win over Coleraine in Europa League qualifying.
The Northern Ireland goalkeeper denied Ian Parkhill, Lyndon Kane and Gareth McConaghie.
Callum Lang and Tony Watt had the visitors in control before Ben Doherty's double, coupled with Bevis Mugabi's red card, turned the game.
But Carson's saves earned a date away to Hapoel Be'er Sheva in round three.
Mark O'Hara, Tony Watt and Stephen O'Donnell all netted from the spot for the Scottish Premiership side.
The Showgrounds' name perhaps did not accurately reflect the quality of the Coleraine pitch, as both sides struggled on an uneven and heavy surface.
It was Motherwell who settled better, with O'Donnell missing a glorious chance to put them ahead from close-range inside six minutes.
Coleraine, who knocked Maribor out on penalties in the previous round, will feel that they should have taken the lead, however, as James McLaughlin put a free header wide of Carson's goal. Less than a minute later, they were behind.
Trevor Carson's three penalty saves see Motherwell past Coleraine
A cross from the left-hand side was kept alive by Watt's physicality, with the ball eventually falling to Lang. He swivelled and forced a great save from Gareth Deane, but the forward was on hand to poke in the rebound.
Watt then doubled the visitors' lead before half-time. Lang drilled a cross at Liam Polworth, whose touch fell into Watt's path, and he drilled the ball low into the back of the net.
But Coleraine came out for the second-half full of energy and won an early penalty after O'Hara was adjudged to have brought down Doherty in the box. He then stepped up himself to bury the penalty past Carson.
Motherwell's response was lacking, and Coleraine thought they had equalised as McConaghie wheeled away in celebration after turning in Josh Carson's pass at the back post, but the linesman's flag was up for offside.
Stephen Lowry then flicked a glorious chance over the bar as Oran Kearney's side pushed for an equaliser, and the Scottish side looked like they would be able to hold out. But substitute Eoin Bradley was soon tumbled by Mugabi. Contact looked minimal but referee Antti Munukka pointed to the spot and ordered the Motherwell centre-half off.
Doherty stepped up once again and finished well to send the tie to extra-time.
The hosts came closest to scoring in the extra 30 minutes with O'Hara's goal-line clearance needed to halt Bradley's header.
But with the momentum firmly against them, Motherwell kept their nerve in the penalty shootout as O'Donnell, Watt and O'Hara slotted past Deane, while Carson's special hat-trick secured the Scots' passage to Israel.
Man of the match - Trevor Carson
When everything looked like it was going wrong for Motherwell, Trevor Carson was there to save them
What they said
Coleraine manager Oran Kearney: "I thought Motherwell were outstanding in the first half, but we regrouped at half-time and then showed the steely mentality that we have about the club.
"The players are distraught, it's hard to pick them up at this moment in time, but it's the lottery at the end. It is what it is, we had great joy out of it a few weeks ago and we've got to take that one on the chin."
Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson: "From our point of view it was a tricky tie, it was a banana skin and had we got beat there would have been plenty made of it.
"We didn't, we showed character and we're through to the next round."
What next?
Next up for Motherwell is a trip to fellow European victors Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership, while Coleraine's domestic season is yet to start.