Hull City are heading to Wembley next week, having kept their hopes of earning promotion to the English Premier League alive after winning the two-legged tie against Millwall at Den on Monday evening by two goals to nil. After an evenly balanced first leg played at the MKM Stadium on Friday ended goalless, it was the timely introduction of substitutes by the Serbian coach, Sergej Jakirović, which made all the difference.
For Alex Neil’s Millwall, the result was disappointing. Coming third in the Championship table with a margin of ten points separating them from the sixth-placed Hull and narrowly missing automatic promotion to the English Premier League, they were expected to triumph. Unfortunately for the South London club, it was the Tigers that emerged victorious, qualifying to meet either Southampton or Middlesbrough on 23rd May.
The Match Action
With the tie perfectly balanced at 0-0, the mood in The Den was very tense. As a result, Alex Neil stuck to the same starting line-up that he used in the first leg, whereas Jakirović decided to play his Tigers using the 3-5-2 formation in order to combat the Millwall’s strong physical approach.
The match kicked off promisingly well for the visitors, as they were creating numerous dangerous moments via corners and free kicks. For instance, Charlie Hughes had to be denied twice, once through the save of Anthony Patterson and once through hitting the ball wide.
However, shortly after, Millwall who were aiming to reach the Premier League for the first time in their history, took the match by storm. Femi Azeez was making a serious attempt for the goal with a shot under extreme pressure, and then Thierno Ballo missed the goal only by inches.
The defining moment of the game, however, came masked as a setback for the traveling team. In the late stages of the first half, Kyle Joseph was taken off by Hull manager Jakirović due to a minor injury. The introduction of Mohamed Belloumi was the genius move by the former.
In the 64th minute, Belloumi found the crucial breakthrough, cutting inside from the right side of the field to deliver a stunning finish inside the far post. While the opening goal shocked the home support, it was the next strike that killed the tie. In the 79th minute, Jakirović made his move, introducing Joe Gelhardt. Within sixty seconds, the striker’s first touch turned out to be the decisive one.
WATCH THE FULL MATCH HIGHLIGHTS HERE
The Aftermath
The referee’s whistle was met with boos from the disappointed crowd and joyous cheers from the visiting fans. The Millwall’s playoff jinx lives on as they succumbed at the semifinals once again after failing in 1994 and 2002 despite the team’s outstanding performances in the regular season. Clearly frustrated, manager Alex Neil commented on the squad’s inability to take advantage of their superiority in the opening half and the room created for Belloumi’s winning goal.
As for Hull City, the remarkable change led by new coach Sergej Jakirović is truly astounding. From barely avoiding relegation to only a minute away from joining the Premier League via the play-offs in the past season.
“It felt like a dream,” an elated Jakirović told reporters during the post-match interview. “My adjustments and perfect timing on the substitutes were crucial in outplaying the home side when it mattered.” Hull City are now heading to the national stadium with a spotless record in the Championship playoffs and the belief that their miraculous campaign still has one more victory to make it complete.
