Motherwell were drawn against SC Freiburg in the UEFA Conference League playoff round, last year's Europa League finalists. The gulf in stature and finances was apparent, but Alfred Johansson wanted his side to stay true to its identity and put on a strong performance.  Fir Park's roof came off inside two minutes when Regan Charles-Cook gave Motherwell the lead. World Cup winner Matthias Ginter scored from a free kick to level the game, but the Steelmen continued to pass the ball and try to create chances. Well in the tie at 1-1 as the game approached the hour mark, everything changed when Martin Moormann was shown a red card after conceding a penalty, with Ginter scoring from the spot for his brace. With 30 minutes remaining and a man down, many would have feared the worst against such a top-quality opposition. But Motherwell battled and worked relentlessly. With the last kick of the game, however, Freiburg scored from a corner, their third set-piece goal of the game. A cruel end to a monumental effort from the Motherwell players, who now rest and recover before travelling to Germany next week.

Alfred Johansson gives his verdict on the first leg defeat to SC Freiburg.

Alfred Johansson discusses Sunday's disappointing result and how he wants his team to approach the game against Bundesliga side SC Freiburg in the UEFA Conference League playoff round.  Johansson addresses his team selection and criticism he received following the exit to Stenhousemuir.

Jake Girdwood-Reich previews the task of taking SC Freiburg, stating it'll be one of the toughest games he's ever been involved in. The centre-back talks about his first few weeks in Scotland how and how he's settling into life in ML1.

Going from the highs of qualifying for the playoff round in the UEFA Conference League, to the elimination of the Premier Sports Cup against Stenhousemuir was something manager Alfred Johansson said we should be annoyed at.  The early signs have all been positive and this result is one that should hurt, but one we must move on quickly with our tie against SC Freiburg ahead of us on Thursday.

The post-match thoughts of Alfred Johansson.

Full match replay from the 2nd round of the Premier Sports Cup

The Steelmen knew getting the tie back to Fir Park for the second leg on level terms was a boost, but also knew they still had a huge job to do to secure qualification for the playoff round of the UEFA Conference League. 8,150 Motherwell fans gathered at Fir Park for what was billed to be a huge opportunity to play last season's Europa League finalists SC Freiburg in the next round. Motherwell were well on top for the duration of the 90 minutes, with Ibrahim Said lifting the roof off Fir Park, as everyone has the chance to now make more memories in the next round of the competition.