Dons defeat Fola Esch, while Jambos see off FC Infonet
Friday 1 July 2016 10:53, UK
Aberdeen left it late to secure a 3-1 victory over Fola Esch at Pittodrie in the first leg of their Europa League first-round qualifier on Thursday.
Shay Logan (67) volleyed the Dons in front, but their lead was short lived with Fola captain Julien Klein (70) equalising with a powerful left-footed finish.
Niall McGinn (90+3), fresh from his heroics at Euro 2016 with Northern Ireland, saved the home side from embarrassment with his deflected shot getting the better of Fola goalkeeper Thomas Hym.
Adam Rooney (90+8) scored from the penalty spot to put the result beyond any doubt and give Aberdeen a healthy advantage ahead of the second leg in Luxembourg next Thursday.
Dons boss Derek McInnes said: "We could be standing talking about a 1-1 draw and the difficulties of the second leg.
"It's still going to be difficult and there's still work to be done, far from perfect but the desire from the players was fantastic. That game's a huge step in terms of being game-ready for the next one."
In Edinburgh, Hearts came from behind to claim a 2-1 victory over FC Infonet at Tynecastle in the first leg of their Europa League tie.
Jevgeni Harin (20) gave the Estonian side a shock lead, firing a volley past Hearts goalkeeper Jack Hamilton after meeting a fine cross from the left.
But the visitors' lead did not last long, with Prince Buaben (27) bringing Hearts level from the penalty spot after Infonet captain Vladimir Avilov was adjudged to have handled the ball.
Hearts completed the turnaround inside the first half when Callum Paterson's effort was diverted into his own net by Andrei Kalimullin (36) and they will take a one-goal lead to Estonia next Thursday.
Hearts manager Robie Neilson said: "They sat in and made it difficult for us. We're ahead in the tie, but we've still got a lot of work to do. We'll get another week's pre-season under our belt and we'll be another week sharper for the return."
