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HJK complete stroll past Coleraine to rubber-stamp Conference League progress

Alfie Cicale (right) had two goal involvements in the second leg
Alfie Cicale (right) had two goal involvements in the second legČTK / imago sportfotodienst / Stephen Hamilton/Inpho

Progression to the third qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League (UECL) was all but secured for HJK after thrashing Coleraine in their first leg, but that didn't stop the Helsinki side rounding off the tie with another win in Northern Ireland.

Coleraine 0-3 HJK (0-8 on aggregate)

Despite their 5-0 win at home a week earlier, HJK proved they were still hungry for more goals by adding two more in the first half at Inver Park.

Adding his second goal of the tie, Toivo Mero opened the scoring in the 12th minute after combining with Alfie Cicale, and a little over 20 minutes on, Cicale turned from provider to scorer by adding number two following a Teemu Pukki assist.

Pukki scored twice late on in the first leg to put the tie beyond Coleraine, and this time it was a pair of assists for the Finnish great, who set up Mouhamed Gueye in the first 10 minutes of the second half to round off an 8-0 win on aggregate.

It's HJK's biggest win in Europe since a 9-1 aggregate success over KR Reykjavik in UEFA Champions League qualifying in 2012, while it's the first time they have won both legs of a continental tie since beating Maribor twice in 2022. Scottish side Motherwell are up next for HJK.

Review all the UECL results on Flashscore.

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