Belloumi’s perfect strike sends Hull City through to Championship playoff final

Hull City are going to Wembley Stadium after Mohamed Belloumi’s curled effort gave the Tigers the lead in an eventual 2-0 semifinal second leg victory at Millwall in the EFL Championship promotion playoffs.

Belloumi makes the difference for Hull City promotion push

The gifted Algerian attacker has been plagued by injuries throughout his two-season spell with the club but he is healthy at the right time. Coming off the bench as an injury replacement at the end of the first half, the former MC Oran star received a pass from Matt Crooks on the right wing and cut inside to curl in the match-winner in the 64th minute.

It was an important moment of inspiration in a semifinal tie that had been deadlocked up to that point. After failing to seize the advantage at home in a 0-0 first leg draw, Hull needed a creative spark and the Algerian delivered. Joe Gelhardt put the visitors beyond reach when he got behind the Millwall defense to finish in the 79th minute.

 

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Belloumi now has 3 goals and 3 assists in 24 matches this season, having returned from a torn thigh muscle in March. He previously battled a nagging hamstring knock at the beginning of the season and missed much of last season due to a knee ligament injury.

The Tigers now await the winner of the other semifinal between Southampton and Middlesbrough, who face off on Tuesday after also playing to a 0-0 draw in their first leg encounter. Hull struggled at the end of the campaign but managed to win their final fixture against Norwich City to occupy the final playoff spot in 6th place, at the expense of Wrexham.

Hull City have not played Premier League football since being relegated at the end of the 2016-17 campaign, a moment that led to a severe slide that saw them eventually relegated to the third tier League One. However, they did bounce back the following season to the Championship and now they are one victory away from returning to the top flight.