Coleraine manager Ruaidhrí Higgins stated that his team “contributed” to their own downfall in Thursday’s 5-0 defeat against HJK in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League second qualifying round tie.

The Bannsiders found themselves two goals down by halftime, with Liam Moller and Pyry Mentu finding the net. Toivo Mero added a third shortly after the break, followed by a quick brace from Teemu Pukki that completed the scoring.

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Expressing his “disappointment” at the heavy loss, Higgins acknowledged that his team now faces a significant challenge in next week’s second leg at home.

“The manner of the goals we gave away and the timing were extremely disappointing,” Higgins told Coleraine TV.

“We contributed to a lot of their goals and that’s on us, so we have to accept it.”

Coleraine’s woes were compounded as Aidan Wilson and Mark Coyle were forced off the pitch due to what Higgins described as “serious injuries.”

Despite the injuries, Higgins refused to blame his team’s fitness levels, stating that HJK is in the middle of their domestic campaign, giving them a fitness advantage.

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“They are in their prime of fitness and we’re just searching for fitness,” he explained.

“Lads like [Joel] Cooper and [Will] Patching have had very little football in pre-season. Cameron Stewart picked up an injury last week, and now two defensive-minded players like Aidan Wilson and Mark Coyle have serious injuries.

“We were a bit makeshift, a bit disjointed, but we still have to do better as they didn’t have to do much to score their goals.

“We have to learn from that and learn fast, take it on the chin and try to move on as quickly as we can.”