Motherwell 5-1 Glentoran: hosts Europa League second qualifying round
Callum Lang, right, directs the ball into Glentoran's net
A second-half blitz earned Motherwell their first win of the season, beating 10-man Glentoran in Europa League qualifying.
Callum Lang, Stephen O'Donnell, Liam Polworth, Tony Watt and Chris Long all scored after a nervous first half.
The Irish Cup winners had several chances to lead before Seanon Clucas' red card clipped the game.
Robbie McDaid earned a late penalty consolation as Motherwell advanced to Monday's second qualifying game.
Fir Park's side join Rangers and Aberdeen in this area, with Coleraine's shocking victory over Maribor ensuring they also become the third Scottish team to be ranked.
Biblical times provided a disturbing prelude to this one. That would have paled compared to the home support's anger that would have poured in if their team hadn't won.
A troubling Premiership start, as well as the sale of David Turnbull earlier today to Celtic for £ 3.25million, did little to encourage support for Lanarkshire.
For long periods of time, these fans would have been uncomfortable at home. At Glentoran, their team ran into a team undeterred by the opportunity or the din of the false fan noise.
Rory Donnelly's point-blank header was sort of saved by Trevor Carson after a deflected shot from Paul O'Neil curled just by a post.
In the second half, O'Neil should have scored six yards, but he could only crash. McDaid would also lead a terribly close effort.
A move to a 3-5-2 from the hosts allowed them to dictate, but it took Clucas' unnecessary dismissal for Glentoran to collapse.
A first half scything challenge on Ricki Lamie was followed by one in 52 minutes to defeat O'Donnell. A long, lonely walk back to the outside locker room followed.
O'Neill would miss this golden chance and within moments his team was behind. O'Donnell's ball around the corner was snagged by Lang to squeeze into the net.
At 72 minutes, the best of the pack arrived. O'Donnell will remember his first burgundy and amber goal, thundering a right-footed shot into the roof of the net 25 yards away.
By the time Polworth nodded three minutes later and Watt tapped in a fourth shortly after, the Northern Ireland team had finished.
There was still time for two more goals. Long got his first of the season with a header at the far post, while McDaid gave Belfast fans a consolation goal at the end, converting from the spot following a foul by Harry Robinson.
Man of the Match - Stephen O'Donnell
He started on the left, moved to the right and smashed the goal of the night in the middle. A terrific demonstration by Stephen O'Donnell, who created the first and crashed into the second to bring Motherwell to life
What have we learned?
This life after Turnbull might actually be a thing for Motherwell. In recent weeks, they have appeared to be heavily dependent on the 21-year-old. Without him, their midfield purred. Polworth had a first season to remember last time around, and he's shown here that he can influence games again.
On the negative side, the fragility at the back that clouded the start of their season was still very visible here. A sharper team would have punished them.
Glentoran can be confident about the season ahead. There is a strong backbone by their side, and without Clucas' reckless challenges, who knows what might have happened? In McDaid, they have a real threat of attack and a cultured playmaker in former Motherwell man Gael Bigirimana.
What did they say?
Stephen Robinson, Director of Motherwell: “It's a banana peel - everyone is waiting for you to fail. That's a great answer to that. Glentoran fought a decent fight, but I think our quality shone.
“Part of the football and the quality of the goals were good - all the forwards scored which is good for the confidence going into Sunday's game.”
And then?
Motherwell will travel to Celtic Park on Sunday for a possible reunion with the late Turnbull, while Glentoran will have to wait until October before the start of their national season.