Motherwell 2-1 Greenock Morton AET: Liam Donnelly strikes late to put hosts through
- Published
Kevin van Veen's penalty drew Motherwell level in extra time
Liam Donnelly's winner at the very end of extra time ensured Motherwell avoided a Scottish Cup upset against Championship side Greenock Morton.
After a goalless 104 minutes, Robbie Muirhead gave the visitors the lead.
But Kevin van Veen levelled from the spot six minutes later before Donnelly stuck in the 121st minute to set up a last-16 tie with Aberdeen at Fir Park.
Morton's threat was intermittent but they defended gallantly to keep the tie finely poised until right at the end.
Motherwell dominated possession and chances but wasted plenty opportunities.
Connor Shields dinked a cross in from the touchline that escaped everyone before falling to Jordan Roberts, whose shot was venomous but narrowly missed the target.
Sean Goss gathered the ball 20-yards from goal and unleashed a powerful drive but Jack Hamilton was there to deny Motherwell an opener.
Moments before the break, Morton's Gavin Reilly had the best chance of the first half as the ball dropped to him from a corner but his shot was struck straight at Liam Kelly.
Just moments after entering the fray, Van Veen danced between defenders on the edge of the box before his shot stung the palms of Hamilton.
Van Veen was through one-on-one and bearing down on goal, with just minutes left on the clock, but once again Hamilton kept the scores level as he had been doing all afternoon.
Morton's chances were few and far between but that wasn't for the lack of trying, a few long throws troubled the Motherwell defence and some long balls were cause for concern but Dougie Imrie's side failed to create many clear-cut opportunities.
Motherwell were frequently reduced to chances from distance in extra-time as Morton stood resolute in the face of their more intricate attacks.
In the second period of extra-time, Muirhead cut in off the left-hand side and unleashed a strike with his left foot and his curling effort nestled in the far corner.
Van Veen placed the ball on the spot for a late penalty and his strike was too powerful for Hamilton to save despite the keeper diving the right way.
In the dying seconds of the game, Motherwell went through on goal with Van Veen leading the charge, the ball eventually fell to Donnelly at the edge of the box and his powerful drive rocketed into the roof of the net.
Motherwell manager Graham Alexander: "We were a bit careless, I thought their keeper made some brilliant saves. We knew they were well-coached, motivated and hard to break down but eventually, we did break them down.
"All the subs played their part in that win and that's what we need, the strength of the squad is so important to us."
Greenock Morton manager Dougie Imrie: "I'm gutted, I'm really proud of my players, I think for me the better team is out of the cup.
"I think we did enough to win the game, they put us under pressure at times but they did not create a lot of clear cut chances. This will give us a lot of confidence but I'm just really, really disappointed for my players."