What a lift: Jamie Murphy's goal shortly after half-time came within under a minute of giving Motherwell victory. Pic: ©SNS Group
Motherwell came within 60 agonising seconds of securing a priceless victory against Aalesunds to take into the second leg of their Europa League third qualifying round match. Jamie Murphy's strike two minutes after the interval put Craig Brown's side in the driving seat, only for substitute Alexander Mathisen to level the scores from the penalty spot in the 91st minute.
Murphy's goal, which made him Motherwell's all-time record scorer in European competition with six, silenced a noisy home crowd inside a busy Color Line Stadium. The SPL team then rode their luck in spells but looked to be headed back to Scotland with a morale-boosting win.
But those hopes were dashed when Steven Saunders brought down the ever-dangerous Demar Phillips in the area in stoppage time. Mathisen grabbed the opportunity to put his team back in the tie by converting the spot kick, beating Darren Randolph as the game approached its climax.
Despite the blow of seeing a win snatched out of their grasp in the dying seconds, Motherwell know they only need to shut their opponents out at Fir Park to reach the play-off stage, thanks to the away goal scored in Norway.
In a game which was played at pace owing to the home side's artificial surface, Aalesunds dealt out most of the early pressure, coming close to breaching the Motherwell defence. Phillips, a player Brown had identified as a dangerman before the match, almost put his team in front with 15 minutes played with a ferocious shot which cannoned off Randolph's crossbar.
But the visitors, playing in their new all-white away kit, came into their own as they settled into the game and arguably had the best of the chances in the first period, if not the possession. Home keeper Anders Lindegaard had to be alert to deny Tom Hateley and Stevie Hammell, with Murphy also looking dangerous and seeing a header just drop wide of the post.
Well boss Brown surprisingly made two changes at the interval, with John Sutton and Ross Forbes making way for Chris Humphrey and youngster Robert McHugh. But the experienced manager clearly sensed an opportunity by changing his team's dynamics, as it was one of his substitutes who contributed to the deadlock being broken within 120 seconds of the restart.
Humphrey, who made an immediate impact by flashing the ball across the face of the goal without any Motherwell player quick enough to react, saw his second burst of effort rewarded. His fellow substitute McHugh earned a corner with a rasping shot which was deflected behind, from which the Steelmen took the lead.
Hateley's delivery found Humphrey at the back stick, the Englishman cutting the ball back across the face of goal into the sight of Murphy who got to the ball first and beat Lindegaard in the Aalesunds goal.
Randolph had to be sharp soon after when Swede Johan Arneng tested him with a placed low shot but the former Charlton stopper was equal to his efforts. Stephen Craigan then almost gifted the hosts a leveller with a pass back with his chest which was woefully short but Magnus Olsen clipped the ball over the crossbar.
Craigan then put the travelling contingent's hearts back in their mouths yet again with 18 minutes left to play when he came within an inch of turning a cross into his own net. But, just when it seemed as if the luck was with the Scottish side, right-back Saunders brought down Phillips in the area with just one minute of stoppage time remaining.
With Motherwell just 60 seconds away from victory, sub Mathisen converted from 12 yards to give Aalesunds a crucial foothold back in the tie. Brown's men, who will leave Norway deflated, still have the valuable away goal which could hold the key to their progression and showed enough on the night to suggest they have a fighting chance of coming within one round of the group stages.
