Motherwell suffered a very disappointing first-leg defeat at the hands of Flamurtari in a second-round Europa League match that wasn’t without its controversial moments. 

Jim Gannon's men seemed to start well and kept good possession of the ball for the majority of the first half with only limited threats from their Albanian opponents. However, this was to change when Odise Roshi came on for Flamurtari after 36 minutes.

He was a constant threat and almost scored right on half-time when he headed against the Motherwell crossbar from a corner.

Motherwell will need to ensure they keep Roshi tamed in the second leg next Thursday.   

The Fir Park men's best chance came late in the first half when John Sutton headed against the bar from a good Keith Lasley cross. He should have scored but couldn’t quite keep the ball down to put it past keeper Mocka.

The second half continued in much the same way with Motherwell enjoying good possession and Flamarturi struggling to break through - until Austrian referee Fritz Stuchlik intervened and created controversy that was to change the flow of the match. 

A seemingly innocent challenge on Sutton resulted in the SPL side being awarded a 56th-minute penalty. It was a harsh decision against the Albanian side but the referee ordered a retake for reasons best known to himself.. 

It could have been that Stuchlik spotted an infringement by the Motherwell players or that Sutton took the kick before the referee was ready. In any event, Sutton's second effort was saved by Mocka and a golden chance was gone.

This seemed to spur Flamurtari into action as they attacked more - and they were rewarded with a goal by Emir Strati in the 65th minute. It came from a corner that was coolly chested down and controlled by Strati, who then produced a strong shot past 'Well keeper Fraser.

It was poorly defended as Sutton and the rest of the Motherwell defence were caught ball-watching.

Motherwell tried to respond but it wasn’t to be their day. And Gannon’s men will have to produce a more effective performance next week if they are to overturn this tie.

They must ensure they don’t concede in the second leg, but with the Fir Park crowd behind them, it should not be too difficult to turn around the one-goal deficit.