Former Celtic Striker Teemu Pukki stuns Motherwell with brilliant equaliser | OneFootball

Former Celtic striker Teemu Pukki rolled back the years on Thursday night as the 36-year-old produced an excellent finish to deny Motherwell victory in Helsinki.

The Steelmen travelled to Finland looking to maintain their perfect start under new manager Alfred Johansson in the first leg of their Conference League third qualifying round tie.

Motherwell had won each of their opening three matches under Johansson and appeared on course to extend that run when Tawanda Maswanhise converted from the penalty spot to put the visitors ahead.

Maswanhise has attracted Celtic interest this summer, but it was a former Hoops player who quickly ensured the advantage did not last.

Just eight minutes after Motherwell had gone in front, Pukki demonstrated that his goalscoring instincts remain intact deep into the latter stages of his career.

The veteran collected possession with his back towards goal before producing a terrific piece of footwork to escape Emmanuel Longelo.

Having created the opening for himself, Pukki then squeezed a powerful effort into the roof of the net from a difficult angle to restore parity.

It was an impressive individual goal from a player who has become one of Finland’s most celebrated footballers since his largely underwhelming period in Glasgow.

Pukki arrived at Celtic from Schalke in 2013 during Neil Lennon’s first spell in charge, with the forward recruited following Gary Hooper’s departure for Norwich City.

Expectations were considerable, but the move never truly worked out and he departed after scoring nine times across 38 appearances.

Curiously, Motherwell were one of the sides Pukki failed to find the net against during his spell in Scottish football, although he finally managed to punish the Steelmen more than a decade later.

His equaliser ensured the contest finished 1-1, leaving everything to play for ahead of next Thursday’s return meeting at Fir Park.

Motherwell may nevertheless view the draw as a positive result after emerging from a difficult European away fixture with the tie still firmly in their hands.

Progress would move the Lanarkshire side to within one round of the Conference League proper, although a formidable challenge potentially awaits in the play-off.

Last season’s Europa League runners-up Freiburg are due to face the winners, making qualification an extremely demanding proposition for either side.

Motherwell have already undergone significant upheaval since emerging as one of Scottish football’s surprise packages last season.

Jens Berthel Askou transformed the Steelmen with an ambitious and possession-heavy approach before earning a move to Toulouse during the summer.

Several influential members of his squad have also moved on, including Elijah Just, Elliot Watt, Callum Slattery and Calum Ward.

Johansson was subsequently handed the responsibility of maintaining the progress made under his predecessor and has promised not to abandon the footballing principles which brought Motherwell so much success.

The early evidence has been encouraging, with Thursday’s result in Finland another positive step in the opening weeks of his tenure.

Celtic will get their first look at Johansson’s Motherwell in Premiership action when the sides meet at Fir Park on October 10.

Their previous league encounter at the venue produced one of the most remarkable moments of last season, with Celtic’s dramatic 3-2 victory on the penultimate day generating reaction far beyond Scottish football.

Pukki’s career, meanwhile, has travelled a considerable distance since his frustrating spell at the Hoops.

After leaving Celtic, the Finnish international rebuilt his reputation with Brondby before becoming a hugely popular figure at Norwich City, where his goals helped fire the Canaries to the Premier League.

Now back in Finland for the closing chapter of his playing career, Pukki showed Motherwell on Thursday that the finishing ability which eventually made him such a prolific striker has not disappeared.

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