Higgins blames Coleraine’s own errors as HJK dominate

On Thursday, HJK stormed to a 5‑0 away win over Coleraine in the UEFA Conference League second‑qualifying round, with Teemu Pukki’s rapid brace sealing the result and prompting manager Ruaidhrí Higgins to admit his side had helped create their own collapse.

The Bannsiders fell behind early, conceding two first‑half goals. Liam Moller opened the scoring, and Pyry Mentu added a second shortly after, leaving Coleraine two down at the break.

HJK extended their lead early in the second half when Toivo Mero found the net. The Finnish side then completed the rout with a quickfire brace from Teemu Pukki.

Ruaidhrí Higgins voiced his disappointment at the manner of the defeat. “The manner of the goals we gave away and the timing were extremely disappointing,” he told Coleraine TV.

He added that his own players had a hand in many of the goals. “We contributed to a lot of their goals and that’s on us, so we have to accept it,” Higgins said.

The match was further marred by injuries, with Aidan Wilson and Mark Coyle forced off after sustaining what Higgins described as serious injuries. Cameron Stewart had picked up an injury the previous week, and Joel Cooper and Will Patching had seen very little pre‑season action.

Higgins refused to blame the result on fitness differences, noting that HJK are in the prime of their fitness while Coleraine are still searching for theirs. “They are in their prime of fitness and we’re just searching for fitness,” he explained.

He highlighted the limited pre‑season football for several squad members, mentioning Joel Cooper and Will Patching had very little action. “We were a bit makeshift, a bit disjointed, but we still have to do better as they didn’t have to do much to score their goals,” Higgins remarked.

Looking ahead, Higgins acknowledged the uphill task awaiting Coleraine in the second leg at home, describing the upcoming fixture as a mountain they must climb. He warned that the deficit would require a decisive performance to overturn.