Motherwell Draws HJK Helsinki 1-1 in Conference League First Leg

What Happened

Motherwell drew 1-1 with HJK Helsinki in the first leg of their Conference League tie in Finland. Motherwell took the lead in the second half via a penalty scored by Tawanda Maswanhise, after VAR intervened following a challenge on Regan Charles-Cook. HJK Helsinki quickly equalized through Teemu Pukki, who scored shortly after coming on as a substitute.

Key Facts

• Motherwell and HJK Helsinki drew 1-1 in the first leg of their Conference League tie.
• Tawanda Maswanhise scored a second-half penalty for Motherwell.
• Teemu Pukki equalized for HJK Helsinki.
• Motherwell's manager, Alfred Johansson, made changes due to the unavailability of Ibrahim Said and Dylan Willians.
• Alex Lowry and Tawanda Maswanhise made their first starts of the season for Motherwell.
• The attendance at the match was 7,023.
• The match took place on Thursday, August 6, 2026.

Background

The draw gives Motherwell a chance to progress in the tie when they host the second leg at Fir Park. HJK Helsinki are reportedly 18 games into their league campaign, while Motherwell were described as having a new-look front line that took time to gel. The match was played on an astroturf pitch, and HJK Helsinki's form has been described as less than their best.