Substitute, Mohamed Belloumi starred in Hull’s 2-0 second-leg victory at Millwall to qualify for the 2026 Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Final.
Belloumi broke the deadlock with a left-footed 64th-minute strike from Matt Crooks’ pass out to the right flank.
The Algerian then set up Hull’s second goal which was finished off by Joe Gelhardt in the 79th minute via a tame fingertip deflection from Millwall’s goalkeeper – Anthony Patterson.
Hull striker, Oli McBurnie post-match explained to Sky Sports that the team expected a difficult tie but praised Belloumi for his performance which has seen the team deliver against expectations for a second consecutive season.
“Knew it was going to be a tough time over two legs.
“Mo’s brilliant, he can be whatever he wants to be.
“It’s pretty typical of our season. Nobody fancied us last season and we’ve proved them wrong again.”
Hull will now meet the winner of Southampton’s play-off semi-final against Middlesbrough at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 23 May, with kick-off time yet to be confirmed.
After a lacklustre goalless first leg which lacked intensity in the end product of both clubs, it was unsurprising that there was instantly more urgency from the get-go and Hull’s Kyle Joseph saw a 10th-minute header saved by Patterson after McBurnie’s shot had been deflected behind.
Hull continued to display more urgency but were again frustrated in the 15th minute as Charlie Hughes nodded wide from another corner, after Lewie Coyle’s cross was deflected over by Jake Cooper.
Millwall subsequently settled and quickly tested Hull’s Ivor Pandur who blocked shots from a 18th-minute ping-pong inside the box caused by Camiel Neghli’s cross, before he then punched away a curled shot from Femi Azeez.
Both teams continued to struggle to beat their oppositional goalkeepers as Millwall’s Patterson tipped McBurnie’s 35th-minute header over the bar, just two minutes after John Egan nodded over the bar from the edge of the Lions’ box.
Hull though were lucky that referee – Samuel Barrott didn’t award Millwall a 38th-minute penalty after Casper De Norre’s cross struck the arm of Hughes, but Barrott felt that Hughes’ arm was in a natural position as he snubbed the Lions’ appeals for a spot-kick.
Such was the frantic intensity of the first half. Hull suffered a 41st-minute blow after Joseph was fouled by Thierno Ballo, which forced the 24-year-old off with a left ankle injury whilst neither team broke the deadlock before half time.
Joseph’s replacement – Belloumi soon made his impact after half time as he slipped Regan Slater into the box, but the midfielder’s cutback was clipped by McBurnie into Tristian Crama who deflected behind.
Belloumi then fired a 56th-minute shot wide across goal as Hull continued to dominate the early phase of the second half.
Millwall manager, Alex Neil substituted Zak Sturge and Casper De Norre in the 63rd minute for Alfie Doughty and Barry Bannan.
Doughty however failed to precisely mark Belloumi barely a minute later after the Algerian winger picked up Crooks’ pass, and wrong-footed Doughty as he cut in and curled a left-footed strike into the far-left corner to put Hull into the lead of the match and tie.
Belloumi’s strike also ended a 243-minute wait for a first goal of this season’s Championship Play-Offs.
Belloumi continued to prove a menace as he set up Slater to flick a 70th-minute shot over the bar which almost settled the tie.
Hull subsequently weathered Millwall’s pressure until Belloumi broke forward on a 79th-minute counter-attack and found substitute Gelhardt free to smash a low shot into the far-bottom right corner to clinch the tie, albeit via a deflection from Patterson’s fingertips as he attempted to save the shot.
Millwall eventually couldn’t force extra time as their wait for a return to England’s top-flight extended into a 37th year, whilst Hull secured a third trip to the Championship Play-Off Final after having beaten Bristol City and Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 in both of their two previous appearances.
The result also completed Hull’s remarkable turnaround just a year after they avoided relegation on the final day of last season on goal difference, although Crooks saw a 86th-minute shot saved by Patterson as the midfielder attempted to consolidate their victory.
“Great Feeling”
Gelhardt post-match gave an interview to Sky Sports in which he admitted that he just felt that his goal would go over the line when he struck the shot, even though Patterson got enough fingertips on to slow the ball’s pace down.
“I saw when I hit it I was waiting for the ball to go over the line. It was a great feeling to score.”
Gelhardt also addressed the view of some critics that he should of started as he defended manager – Sergej Jakirovic for his game plan and starting line-up selection at The Den.
“You can’t be mad at that manager, he has his plan. Every player wants to play but it is the manager’s decision and you have to prove that you have the right to play.
“It is a tough place to come and can be a difficult place to come and get a result, but it shows the characters we have in dressing room, and 2-0 was good result.”
Teams
Millwall: Anthony Patterson, Ryan Leonard, Tristian Crama, Jake Cooper, Zak Sturge (Doughty 63′), Derek Mazou-Sacko (Cundle 85′), Casper De Norre (Bannan 64′), Femi Azeez, Camiel Neghli, Thierno Ballo (Ivanovic 57′), Josh Coburn (Langstaff 85′)
Substitutes: Barry Bannan, Max Crocombe, Luke Cundle, Alfie Doughty, Mihailo Ivanovic, Macaulay Langstaff, Danny McNamara, Billy Mitchell, Tom Watson
Hull: Ivor Pandur, Semi Ajayi, John Egan, Charlie Hughes, Lewie Coyle, Regan Slater (Lundstrum 84′), Matt Crooks, Ryan Giles (McNair 84′), Kyle Joseph (Belloumi 45+2′), Liam Millar (Gelhardt 78′), Oli McBurnie (Koumas 84′)
Substitutes: Paddy McNair, Kieran Dowell, Mohamed Belloumi, Akin Famewo, Joe Gelhardt, Yu Hirakawa, Lewis Koumas, John Lundstrum, Dillon Phillips
Referee – Samuel Barrott