Millwall's Championship playoff curse continues after a 2-0 semi-final second-leg defeat to Hull City at The Den. It is now three times the Lions have come within touching distance of reaching the Premier League only to fall at the semi-final stage, following defeats in 1994 and 2002.
This loss will be especially hard to take given that Alex Neil's side finished 10 points clear of Hull and narrowly missed automatic promotion on the final day. But on a night when Millwall were heavy favourites to make it to Wembley, it was substitute Mohamed Belloumi who stole the show for Sergej Jakirovic's side with a stunning opening goal before fellow substitute Joe Gelhardt sealed the victory.
The only silver lining for Millwall's supporters is that they will likely get the chance to renew acquaintances with rivals West Ham, whom they last played in 2012. Hull, relegated from the Premier League in 2017, become the first team to finish sixth and reach the playoff final since Frank Lampard's Derby in 2019. It is a remarkable achievement for a team that only avoided relegation last season on goal difference.
Hull captain Lewie Coyle said: "Incredible. It's something we all believed we could do when we finalised that playoff spot on the last day in such dramatic fashion. We said: 'Why shouldn't it be us?'"
Neil's Gamble Backfires
Neil has plenty of pedigree in the playoffs, having led Norwich to the Premier League in 2015 and kickstarting Sunderland's revival in 2022. But while Millwall's supporters created an intimidating atmosphere, his players failed to rise to the occasion. "We rolled the dice by bringing on an extra striker, conceded a goal straight away and then we were chasing our tails," admitted Neil. "It's a tough one because we feel like we've let people down."
First Half: Hull's Tactical Surprise
Jakirovic, who took over last summer and defied the odds to lead Hull to a top-six finish, sprang a surprise by switching to a back five, throwing Millwall off their stride. Charlie Hughes called Anthony Patterson into the first save of the evening as the visitors made a much better start. Millwall's only real chances saw Thierno Ballo's header hacked off the line by Kyle Joseph before Ivor Pandur saved a rasping drive from Femi Azeez.
Hull rode the storm and continued to look threatening. John Egan wasn't far away with a header from a free-kick, and Oli McBurnie forced Patterson into a smart save from a fizzing Ryan Giles cross. Joseph's night ended prematurely when he limped off with a nasty-looking ankle injury, though Millwall fans booed as he was helped off.
Second Half: Belloumi's Magic
Hull were quickest out of the blocks at the start of the second half when Regan Slater set up McBurnie, but Tristan Crama somehow cleared his shot off the line. Millwall continued to struggle to create chances. Neil gambled by bringing on Mihailo Ivanovic and switching to 4-4-2, followed by experienced duo Alfie Doughty and Barry Bannon.
That proved to be the turning point as Joseph's replacement, Belloumi, finally found the breakthrough with a spectacular strike. The Algerian had been a constant menace and curled a shot from the edge of the area, after Doughty failed to engage him, that went in off the far post.
Bannon almost gifted a second to Slater with a loose pass before Ivanovic headed over at the other end. There was no way back when Gelhardt met Belloumi's cross with virtually his first touch after coming on, and the ball trickled agonisingly over the line to seal Millwall's fate.
