Motherwell March On: Johansson's Unbeaten Start Meets Freiburg Test Next
Motherwell are through to the Conference League play-off round after a 2-0 win over HJK Helsinki at Fir Park, and their unbeaten manager is already sizing up the next mountain.
Ibrahim Said scored both goals — a "sensational double," in the words of Alfred Johansson — to send the Steelmen through. The 35-year-old Swede, appointed in June as the club's 31st manager, has not lost a competitive match since taking charge (BBC Sport).
For Motherwell, the European run has already delivered something rare: 8,100 fans packed Fir Park for the Helsinki second leg, a crowd Johansson called among the best attendances in modern times (BBC Sport). The manager, who told BBC Scotland ahead of the campaign that he was "buzzing to get started" when he saw the stands filling up, has kept that energy without losing his head. BBC Sport described him as "annoyingly level-headed and effortlessly grounded" in media dealings — not a label every young manager earns.
Johansson arrived at Fir Park with a serious body of work. He managed Rosenborg in Norway from 2023, taking the job at 33 and overseeing 131 matches with 71 wins and 21 draws (Motherwell FC). He departed in May 2026, seven league games into his third season, and was named Motherwell manager on 18 June.
His squad is already taking shape. Martin Moormann, the first signing of the Johansson era, was brought in to fill a gap the manager had identified — a fast, physical presence, as BBC Sport put it (BBC Sport). Joe Hodge, described by Johansson as an "excellent footballer," is expected to "flourish and develop further" in the manager's style of play (BBC Sport).
The Helsinki match itself demanded tweaks. Tom Sparrow, who came off injured during a lively league draw with Falkirk, missed out. Johnny Koutroumbis replaced him for his first competitive start of the season after recovering from a hand injury. Jake Girdwood-Reich, Alex Lowry, and Regan Charles-Cook also came into the side — four changes that reflect a manager comfortable reshuffling for the occasion.
Johansson's praise for Said came with a caveat. The forward "didn't manage to show his offensive skills" against Falkirk, the manager noted — then answered with two goals against Helsinki (BBC Sport).
What makes this stand out is the schedule now facing a club operating on a fraction of the budgets found in Europe's bigger leagues. After the Helsinki second leg on a Thursday, Motherwell travel to Germany to face Freiburg — a Bundesliga side — in the Conference League play-off round (BBC Sport). Then it is back to domestic duty on Sunday against Stenhousemuir, a match Johansson called "a final for us."
For Motherwell fans, this is the sweet spot — a young manager with a clear idea, a team scoring in Europe, and Fir Park loud again. The Freiburg tie will tell them how far this run can really go.
