Motherwell recorded a commanding 3-0 victory in the Faroe Islands to seal a dominant 5-0 aggregate triumph in the Europa Conference League.
Manager Alfred Johansson had urged his players to eat barbed wire before the match, and they delivered everything asked of them and more.
Goals from Lukas Fadinger, Regan Charles-Cook and Dylan Williams ensured the Steelmen progressed with considerable authority to the next round.
Motherwell will now face Finnish side HJK in the next stage of the competition after eliminating the Faroese opposition across two legs.
Fadinger opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 25th minute after Willy Vogts was fouled inside the area by Asi Dam.
Estonian referee Joonas Jaanovits pointed to the spot, and Fadinger’s powerful effort proved too strong for the goalkeeper despite going the right way.
Charles-Cook, brought in as the only change from the first-leg starting lineup, was a constant and lively threat throughout, eventually breaking through in the 36th minute.
The Grenadian international collected the ball on the left, beat his marker, cut inside and beat Bjarti Mørk at his near post to double the advantage before half-time.
Dylan Williams completed the scoring just five minutes into the second half, sweeping a low drive under Mørk after Ibrahim Said played him in on the right.
It was only Williams’ second outing for the club following his move from Burton Albion, making the goal an especially significant moment in his fledgling Motherwell career.
Johansson remained animated and vocal on the touchline throughout, continuing to drive his players forward even after the tie had been comfortably settled.
The Swedish manager was also able to hand some of his academy graduates valuable minutes late on, with the victory secure and the aggregate result beyond any doubt.
Top scorer Tawanda Maswanhise made a notable return from the bench, wearing a protective mask, offering the travelling Motherwell fans further encouragement ahead of the Premiership season.
HB had not lost a home European fixture in six years, with clubs including Brondby, Hajduk Split, Derry City, Maccabi Haifa, Newtown and Buducnost Podgorica all failing to beat them on their own patch.
Motherwell showed no such concern, emphatically ending that impressive record while also providing a timely boost to Scotland’s declining European coefficient.
The result marks a significant moment as the club returns to European competition for the first time in four years under a new manager still building momentum.
Johansson now holds a perfect 100 per cent record in charge, and all eyes will turn to Sunday’s Scottish Premiership opener away to Hibs at Easter Road.
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