Aberdeen left it late as a debut goal from Topi Keskinen eventually saw them find a way to overcome Championship side Queen’s Park 1-0 and progress to the Premier Sports Cup quarter-finals.
The Dons, who had won all four of their group matches, were the better side against a Spiders team who had lost only once in the competition, to Hibernian.
But with Bojan Miovski having departed for Girona in midweek, Aberdeen were not as clinical as they may have been and only Keskinen’s stoppage-time strike separated the sides.
It was no less than they deserved though, as the home side were comfortably in charge for the majority of the game.
They showed early promise as Sivert Heltne Nilsen clipped a neat pass over the top for Nicky Devlin, who was denied by Calum Ferrie at the near post.
The Dons continued to push but a mistake from Jack Milne, in for the suspended Slobodan Rubezic, allowed Zak Rudden a chance from which Milne recovered well to keep the scores level.
Ferrie was certainly the busier goalkeeper and he held a Gavin Molloy header before Dimitar Mitov saved from Jack Thomson at the other end.
Still it was the Dons with the better of the play as half-time approached, with Ferrie acrobatically pushing over from Pape Habib Gueye, before holding Jack MacKenzie’s low drive.
The Dons had the ball in the net three minutes after the break as Ester Sokler slid past Ferrie, but the offside flag saw the effort ruled out, before full-backs MacKenzie and Devlin both fired narrowly off target.
Sokler headed over and then saw a shot blocked either side of the hour mark, before being replaced by Peter Ambrose late on.
That was just one of a raft of second-half substitutions, among which the Dons handed a maiden appearance to Finnish winger Keskinen just before the hour mark.
He made his impact, turning neatly on a pass from Heltne Nilsen before sending a rising left-foot effort past Ferrie to fire his side through.
[(Strasbourg) Strength]: 1. RC Strasbourg Alsace started with a 1-0 away win over FC Metz in the last Ligue 1 game. Facing FC Nantes in this game, they are motivated to take 3 points.2. RC Strasbourg Alsace were unbeaten with 2 wins and 2 draws in the last 4 games, showing fit form. They secured a 0-0 draw with Brondby IF in the last Conference League match.3. RC Strasbourg Alsace recorded 2 wins,...
[(Juventus FC) Strength]: 1. Juventus FC are undoubtedly motivated to start the new season with a home win in this game.2. Jonathan David scored first in the last warm-up match against Atalanta BC, helping the team secure a win.3. In the last two warm-up games, Juventus FC beat strong Borussia Dortmund and Atalanta BC, showing outstanding form.4. Juventus FC were unbeaten with 4 wins and 1 draw in...
[(AFC Ajax) Strength]: 1. AFC Ajax drew 2-2 with Go Ahead Eagles away from home in the last league match. They have achieved an unbeaten record of one win and one draw in two league games of the new season, maintaining a stable form.2. AFC Ajax's attack has maintained their excellent pre-season form, scoring 11 goals in the last 5 matches, with an average of over 2 goals per game.3. AFC Ajax's hom...
[(Atalanta BC) Strength]: 1. This match is the first round of the new Serie A season. Atalanta BC, playing at home, will strive for a win to get off to a good start, and their fighting spirit is beyond doubt.2. In a recent friendly match against Juventus FC, Lazar Samardzic scored a goal, demonstrating an excellent form.3. Atalanta BC have scored a total of 8 goals and conceded 11 ones in their la...
[(Udinese Calcio) Strength]: 1. Arthur Atta scored the opening goal for the team in the recent Coppa Italia match. He officially joined the club during the offseason, with Udinese Calcio spending 8 million euros to secure his services.2. Udinese Calcio won 2-0 over Carrarese Calcio 1908 in the first Coppa Italia match, welcoming the new season with good performances.3. Udinese Calcio scored 2 goal...
[(Villarreal) Strength]: 1. Villarreal started the new season with an away victory in the opening round, currently sitting near the top of the league table with 3 points. After finishing 5th in La Liga last season and securing a spot in European football, the Yellow Submarine aim to maintain their strong form this campaign. Playing at home in the Estadio de la Ceramica against Girona, the team are...
[(IK Sirius) Strength]: 1. IK Sirius have recently achieved three consecutive victories in all competitions and are in good form. In the last Svenska Cupen match, they defeated Pitea IF 5-0 and advanced to the group stage.[(IK Sirius) Weakness]: 1. IK Sirius currently ranked 12th in the league table. Facing 2nd-placed Hammarby, IK Sirius, who have been performing poorly, have little chance of winn...
[(Osasuna) Strength]: 1. Osasuna lost in the first round of the league and suffered a poor start. This time playing at home, Osasuna will strive for a win to boost morale and are highly motivated.2. Osasuna are strong at home, winning all of their previous four home games.[(Osasuna) Neutral]: 1. Osasuna have scored 6 goals and conceded 8 ones in their last 5 matches. The team's offensive performan...
[(Cagliari) Strength]: 1. Cagliari finished 15th in Serie A last season, taking 36 points, narrowly avoiding relegation by a 5-point lead. In the first home match of the new season, they will face powerhouses ACF Fiorentina. The team are motivated to take home advantage to start with a win.[(Cagliari) Weakness]: 1. Cagliari captain Leonardo Pavoletti will miss the first Serie A round due to his kn...
[(FC Lorient) Strength]: 1. FC Lorient returned to Ligue 1 this season as the champions of France Ligue 2, but lost their first game away from home. This time, they will strive to secure their first win of the season at home, and their desire to win is beyond doubt.2. FC Lorient have performed very strongly at home. Last season, in 17 home games in France Ligue 2, they achieved an impressive recor...
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