On a night where everything that could go wrong, went wrong, Scottish side Aberdeen were knocked out of the Europa League after succumbing to a 1-0 defeat to Maribor. A missed penalty, a red card, and an injury time own goal meant Sir Alex Ferguson’s former club were eliminated 2-1 on aggregate after a 1-1 first leg draw.
Also Read: Top 10 funniest own goals of all time
The game was played against a backdrop of silence and mourning after 2 Maribor-B team players were killed in a car crash just a few days ago. Aberdeen knew they had to score a goal and they set out with a purpose. Adam Rooney had the chance to give the away side a first half lead, but his spot kick was saved by goalkeeper Jasmin Handanovic. This after the Scottish side had scored, but the referee had called back play to give the side a penalty. Handanovic then made another couple of saves in the half to keep the score level.
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Things got worse for Aberdeen in the second half. Substitute Jayden Stockley received two yellow cards in quick succession for the use of elbow. This left Aberdeen with just 10 men for the remaining thirty-odd minutes of play. With just minutes left for the final whistle, a pass back from Graham Shinnie hit a bump on the turf, bobbled over the foot of goalkeeper Joe Lewis and rolled into the back of the net.
This was a night to forget for Aberdeen who had dominated a majority of the game. The football club, coached by Sir Alex Ferguson for 8 years, needed just a goal to progress after a 1-1 draw at home, but could not manage one. The referee was subject to some severe criticism from Aberdeen fans after the game and it remains to be seen what action would be taken against him by UEFA. This is the third year running that the Scottish Premiership runners-up have been knocked out in the third qualifying round.
Take a look at the own goal that devastated the Scottish side’s fans:
