Source: TheGuardian
Burnley 3-1 Aberdeen (4-2 agg): Europa League qualifying – as it happened
Lewis Ferguson scored a wonder goal for Aberdeen, but Burnley proved too much for the Dons in the endRead Andy Hunter’s match report 10.38pm BST And that’s your lot. A sad evening for Aberdeen, whose European campaign is over, two days into August. But they were excellent tonight, and when the dust settles it’s a performance that will give them great heart going into the new season. What a goal by Lewis Ferguson, by the way. As for Burnley, they showed great determination against stubborn opponents, and deservedly won through. They can now look forward to a tie with Istanbul Basaksehir, one step closer to the group stage. Andy Hunter was at Turf Moor: here’s his take. Nighty night! Related: Europa League: Burnley’s Cork and Barnes sink Aberdeen in extra time 10.33pm BST Sean Dyche speaks! “It really was a big test. They were excellent. They came to take the game on. Their keeper was fantastic. We’re still sort of a bit loose because it’s pre-season, the lads are still getting their eye in. It’s a weird thing, a competitive game in pre-season.” He goes on to speak a lot about the transfer market while offering no information whatsoever, which is fair enough. 10.26pm BST Jack Cork, who scored the goal that broke Aberdonian hearts, speaks: “Aberdeen have been really tough. It could have gone either way. We’re just really happy to get through, that we’re still in Europe. We knew if we kept battling, we would get through. It’s great for the fans, 50-odd years since Europe. It’s good for them to get away and experience something different, a change of scenery!” 10.20pm BST Nope. Aberdeen were brave, and very entertaining at times. But Burnley had more gas in the tank come extra time. After two hours of marvellous European football, it’s the Clarets who progress to a third qualifying round tie against Istanbul Basaksehir. 10.18pm BST ET 30 min: May has a blooter from the edge of the box. His effort deflects out for a corner. Can they grab a consolation at the last? 10.16pm BST ET 28 min: Burnley knock it around in the time-management style. 10.15pm BST ET 26 min: Turf Moor rings with the songs of the Burnley faithful. They’ve waited 51 years for this, and they’re making the most of it. 10.13pm BST Barnes slots the ball into the bottom right again. This time it counts. And it’ll be Burnley going through to the next round, unless Aberdeen can achieve something quite sensational in the next five minutes or so. 10.12pm BST ET 23 min: Gudmundsson dribbles down the right. He chips inside. McKenna can’t get his arm, hanging out to the side of his body, out of the way. The referee points immediately to the spot and whistles. Barnes sweeps the loose ball into the net, but the ref definitely whistled beforehand, and so he’ll have to have another go from the spot. 10.10pm BST ET 21 min: Ball dribbles inside from the left with purpose. He scoops the ball into the centre; Forrester tries to chest it goalwards, the ball not quite at the right height to head. Lindegaard gathers. 10.07pm BST ET 19 min: Some aimless passes are hoofed back and forth by two tired teams. Burnley will be happy enough to continue like this for the next ten minutes. 10.05pm BST ET 17 min: Hendrick’s first meaningful act is to handle the ball 3o yards from his own goal on the Burnley right. A chance for Aberdeen to put some pressure on. May takes the free kick, but it’s not much cop. But they come again. Considine dribbles fast down the left, reaches the byline, and fizzes low through the six-yard box. May wasn’t able to connect. Anything on that, and Aberdeen would be leading on away goals! 10.04pm BST And we’re off again! Both teams make their bonus extra-time sub. Jeff Hendrick comes on for Westwood, while Chris Forrester replaces Ferguson. 10.00pm BST Nothing much happens in them. Burnley are 15 minutes away from the third qualifying round. But Aberdeen will be in the box seat if they find an equaliser, on account of the away-goals rule. 9.59pm BST ET 15 min: There will be two minutes added to this period of extra time. 9.58pm BST ET 14 min: May floats the ball into the mixer. Barnes gets it away. That could have ricocheted anywhere. 9.57pm BST ET 13 min: Cork is making his 100th appearance for Burnley tonight. What a way to celebrate! Aberdeen try to respond immediately, winning a free kick in Burnley territory. A chance to load the box. 9.56pm BST When it came, it was so simple! Gudmundsson and Barnes shuttle the ball right to left for Taylor. From the flank, he whips high into the middle. Cork rises above a static Aberdeen back line, and plants a header into the top right! 9.53pm BST ET 10 min: Cosgrove is replaced by Stevie May, formerly of Preston North End, and welcomed accordingly. 9.52pm BST ET 8 min: Shinnie has a run at the Burnley defence. Tarkowski hacks out for a throw. Aberdeen take an absolute age over it. The players suddenly look, to a man, knackered. It’s very early in the season for a high-stakes European marathon, after all. 9.51pm BST ET 6 min: Nothing comes of the corner. Probably just as well. 9.50pm BST ET 5 min: After Burnley are awarded a disputed throw deep on the right, the ref overruling his linesman, Gudmundsson curls in from the wing. Barnes shoves Logan to the ground, and takes out Lewis in doing so. But the ref now gives the hosts a corner. If something comes of this, expect to hear Derek McInnes talk about it later, with some feeling. 9.48pm BST ET 3 min: Mee meets the corner with a header, but it softly floats towards Lewis. Aberdeen go up the other end, Ferguson winning a corner off Taylor. But the referee - who has been far from perfect tonight - points for a goal kick to Burnley. Ferguson goes off on one. Where have we seen those words strung together before? 9.46pm BST ET 2 min: Taylor cuts in from the left and crosses low for Gudmundsson, who shoots first time from six yards. But Considine sticks out a peg to deflect the ball out for a corner. Wonderful last-ditch defending. 9.44pm BST Right, here we go again! Aberdeen get the first period of extra time underway. Charlie Taylor has replaced Ward at left back for Burnley. 9.39pm BST Cork swings a Hail Mary into the mixer, but Devlin clears easily. And we’ll have 30 minutes of extra time! 9.38pm BST 90 min +2: Make that 60 seconds. 9.37pm BST 90 min +1: The first corner, on the right, leads to a second on the left. Mackay-Steven tries to find Cosgrove with his delivery, but overcooks it. Turf Moor prepares for 30 minutes of additional play ... unless something very dramatic happens in the next 120 seconds. 9.36pm BST 90 min: Cosgrove sends Mackay-Steven into acres down the right with a searching crossfield pass. Mackay-Steven skitters into the area and purchases a cheap corner. There will be three added minutes. 9.34pm BST 88 min: Aberdeen make their second change, replacing Hoban at the back with Dominic Ball. 9.33pm BST 87 min: Wright whips the free kick to the far post. Considine can’t get a touch. The ball flies inches wide of goal. So close to deciding this tie! 9.32pm BST 86 min: Shinnie is taken down by Cork as he sashays down the left. That’s a free kick, and a chance to load the box. But before the set piece can be taken, Lennon is replaced by 18-year-old Dwight McNeil. 9.31pm BST 85 min: From the corner, Aberdeen launch a counter. Suddenly Wright is dribbling at pace down the middle, with players on either side! He drops a shoulder to leave Lowton, but is cynically brought to ground before he can set a team-mate away. A booking. But that could have been a whole lot worse for Burnley. 9.30pm BST 84 min: Lennon dribbles with great purpose down the inside-right channel. He nearly opens Aberdeen up. But he’s forced to turn back. Burnley come again, Cork shooting from distance. Deflected wide for another corner. 9.29pm BST 83 min: Gudmundsson drives down the left and earns a corner off Hoban. He takes it himself, and it’s awful, straight down the throat of Lewis. Nerves are beginning to play a part now. 9.26pm BST 81 min: McGinn - who has excelled tonight - looks kaput, having given his all. He’s replaced by 20-year-old Scott Wright. 9.25pm BST 79 min: Shinnie isn’t far away from slipping Mackay-Steven into the area. Then Cosgrove converts in the rugby style from 20 yards, the ball sailing high into the darkening sky. Burnley hearts were in mouths, though, because a second away goal for Aberdeen now would put the hosts in all sorts of bother. 9.23pm BST 77 min: Considine is booked for clipping Lennon to the floor out on the right wing. It’s a chance for Burnley to load the box. But the resulting free kick is a whole load of nonsense. 9.22pm BST 75 min: Lowton curls in from the right. Vokes rises and crashes a glorious header towards the top right. Lewis looks to have been beaten all ends up, but the ball crashes off the underside of the bar and out! In fact, the keeper got a slight touch on that. Amazing! 9.20pm BST 74 min: Turf Moor is nervous as, from the corner, Considine nearly sets up Hoban with an easy header from six yards. Vokes reads the danger and heads out for another corner. Nothing comes of the second one. 9.19pm BST 73 min: Ferguson sends Shinnie racing into the Burnley box down the left. He smashes low towards the near corner; Lindegaard parries out well for a corner. 9.17pm BST 71 min: And now it’s one
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yellow card apiece, as Gudmundsson barges into the back of McGinn. 9.17pm BST 70 min: A yellow card at last, as Shinnie slides at great speed into Ward. He can’t really complain about that on its own terms, though there’s probably a case in the context of the ones the referee let go earlier. 9.14pm BST 68 min: Mee heads the resulting corner harmlessly wide. This marvellous match is teetering in the balance. An extra 30 minutes would be no heartache. 9.13pm BST 67 min: There’s all sorts of bedlam on the edge of the Aberdeen box. Nobody can get control. But then suddenly Cork gets calm, and slides a glorious defence-splitting ball down the inside right. Barnes is clear, and hammers a rising shot goalwards. Somehow, Lewis gets a strong hand on the ball to tip over! What a save! Wonderful play all round. 9.12pm BST 65 min: McGinn scampers into acres down the left. He advances on the box, then slips a ball inside for Shinnie, who opens his body and sidefoots wildly over the bar. That’s a dreadful attempt, a wonderful chance spurned. But Shinnie has been one of Aberdeen’s stand-out players tonight, along with McGinn, Ferguson and Mackay-Steven, so let’s cut him some slack. 9.10pm BST 64 min: Ward is down getting a spot of treatment after being clattered by Mackay-Steven. There was no malice in the challenge, and by the looks of it Ward will be fine to continue. A chance for everyone to get a drink. 9.09pm BST 63 min: Vokes tries to inject a bit of life into the Clarets’ attack, taking a shot from 25 yards. It’s blocked the second it leaves his boot. 9.08pm BST 62 min: Burnley’s early second-half blitz has run its course. They spend some time in the middle of the park, doing not very much. 9.06pm BST 60 min: The set piece drops to Cosgrove, who miskicks while in space on the edge of the box. He still earns another corner. That leads to a period in which Burnley struggle to get out of their own box. Aberdeen have a look down both flanks, but can’t open the hosts up. Much better from the Dons, though. 9.04pm BST 58 min: Shinnie slides a pass to McGinn on the left. He turns on the jets to say goodbye to Lowton. He crosses hard and low; Tarkowski does very well to turn the ball round the post for a corner. 9.02pm BST 56 min: Tarkowski slides a pass down the inside right. Barnes flicks in the hope of releasing Vokes, but McKenna clears. Mackay-Steven tries to launch an Aberdeen counter, but it doesn’t come to much. The visitors really need to rediscover the mojo they found midway through the first half. 9.01pm BST 54 min: Burnley keep hogging the ball. On the touchline, Derek McInnes performs the international mime for Keep Calm Will You For God’s Sake. His team have been on the rack since the restart. 9.00pm BST 52 min: The Burnley fans turn up the noise. Their heroes probe and probe. Lowton crosses twice from the right. The first one hits McKenna’s back, the second Devlin’s arm, pinned to the side of his body. Two penalty shouts in two seconds, neither successful. Correct decisions. Burnley continue to knock it about. Westwood and Vokes nearly open Aberdeen up down the inside-left channel, but the latter is flagged offside as he shapes to shoot. 8.56pm BST 50 min: Vokes tries to spin Considine in the area, but falls over. Burnley claim a penalty but there’s nothing in the challenge. The crowd naturally don’t agree, and there’s a sense of seething injustice bubbling away in Turf Moor right now. 8.55pm BST 49 min: It’s a very open match right now. Gudmundsson romps into acres down the right. He’s got Barnes in the middle, unmarked, screaming for the ball to be rolled to his feet. That eventually happens, but far too late, and Hoban is on hand to block the eventual shot. Gudmundsson’s hesitation cost Burnley a goal there. 8.53pm BST 47 min: Early signs that Sean Dyche has delivered the mother and father of all bollockings to his team. Because they launch another fierce attack, Vokes heading down for Gudmundsson, cutting in from the right. Gudmundsson sends a first-time shot whistling towards the bottom right; Lewis does very well to turn it round the post. Nothing comes from the corner, but Burnley are back! 8.52pm BST 46 min: Burnley go straight at Aberdeen. Barnes nearly flicks Vokes free, then the move breaks down when Vokes and Lowton get their wires crossed. 8.50pm BST And we’re off again! Burnley have made a change. The goalscorer Wood is injured and has been replaced by Ashley Barnes. Aberdeen keep Burnley waiting again, but finally turn up - to a chorus of pantomime booing. Eventually the visitors set the ball rolling once more. If there’s no scoring in this second half, we’ll be heading to extra time and possibly penalty kicks. God I miss the World Cup. 8.39pm BST Half-time reading ... and what’s this? Another reason for Sean Dyche to simmer? Related: Transfer roundup: West Brom reject Burnley’s £16m bid for Jay Rodriguez 8.36pm BST Shinnie sends a low fizzer towards the bottom left of Burnley’s goal. Lindegaard tips round the post brilliantly. From the corner, Cosgrove gets a header on target, forcing Vokes to clear for another corner. And then there’s some penalty-box shoving to end the half. Derek McInnes runs off happily, Sean Dyche is on a rolling boil. This is poised perfectly for a wonderful second half! 8.33pm BST 45 min: Aberdeen get away with a big one here! Wood goes chasing after a long ball down the left. It’s a footrace with McKenna. The pair shoulder barge each other. Both fall to the ground. Wood’s going to get up first and tear clear on goal ... so McKenna makes sure he falls into his road, dragging the striker down. That could easily have been a free kick and a red card ... but it’s a free kick to Aberdeen! 8.31pm BST 44 min: Burnley haven’t done too much in attack of late. Mee chips forward for Vokes, who chests down on the edge of the box, hoping to set up Wood. But Vokes has wandered miles offside. 8.30pm BST 42 min: Hoban should be booked for a late lunge on Lennon, but for the second time tonight, the referee strangely opts to keep his cards in his pocket. That’s one each, look at it that way. 8.29pm BST 40 min: There’s palpable tension around Turf Moor now, as Aberdeen make a proper game of this. Cosgrove tries to beat Lindegaard from 40 yards. The whistle had already gone for offside, and the home fans yell in irritation. One assumes they’re really venting spleen at their own side’s sudden drift. 8.26pm BST 38 min: The increasingly influential Mackay-Steven, once of Liverpool and Celtic, floats a teasing cross into the Burnley box from the right. Considine, making his presence felt at the far post, rises above Mee and sends a header across the face of goal and wide right. 8.25pm BST 37 min: Aberdeen press Burnley back. Mackay-Steven slips McGinn into space down the left. McGinn’s cross is too deep, but Logan tries again from the other flank. Burnley half clear yet again. McGinn has a whack from 20 yards; it’s blocked. 8.23pm BST 36 min: Now it’s Aberdeen’s turn to stroke the ball around. They’re not going anywhere fast, but then that’s not really the point. They’ve done extremely well to work their way back into this tie. 8.21pm BST 34 min: Turf Moor has gone a little quiet since the equaliser. Burnley fans are a little nervous, as Aberdeen see a little more of the ball. The away support is in full party mode, mind. 8.19pm BST 32 min: A brief scrappy scuffle in the Aberdeen box nearly allows Vokes a shot from 12 yards. But eventually the ball’s hacked clear. There’s surely more goals in this game. It’s open and very entertaining. 8.18pm BST 31 min: Lennon wins a corner down the right. Gudmundsson curls the set piece towards the near post, where Tarkowski flashes just wide of the top right. A decent response by the home side to the shock of conceding, having been in a totally dominant position. 8.17pm BST 29 min: As things stand, we’re going to extra time. On the touchline, Sean Dyche goes into nuclear meltdown. They failed to clear a set piece, and it’s cost them. Most uncharacteristic. 8.16pm BST What a goal! Burnley half-clear the corner. So Mackay-Steven comes down the left and loops into the area. Burnley fail to clear with any conviction. A header by Wood drops to 18-year-old Lewis Ferguson, playing only his second game for the club. He’s got his back to goal, 12 yards out, level with the left-hand post. And he sends a bicycle kick into the top corner! Wow! 8.14pm BST 26 min: Aberdeen are beginning to grow into this match. Considine passes down the left flank to release McGinn. Tarkowski slides in to block for a corner. From which ... 8.13pm BST 25 min: A half-arsed appeal for a penalty by Burnley, as Lennon scampers into the box from the right and tries to dink the ball past Hoban. There’s too much on it, and it’s going out of play. The defender stands his ground, the pair come together, and Lennon goes over. He’s not getting that. Goal kick. 8.11pm BST 23 min: The corner is a total waste of time, hoicked straight out of play by McGinn. 8.10pm BST 22 min: The first passage of Aberdonian play that means something: Considine works some space down the left, and hooks into the box. Shinnie, on the penalty spot, eyebrows on to Mackay-Steven, who is in a bit of space. He chests down and shoots, but takes too much time about it, and Ward deflects the ball out for a corner. 8.08pm BST 21 min: Ward comes through the back of the slippery Mackay-Steven. It should be a yellow card, but it’s not. 8.07pm BST 20 min: Burnley stroke it around the back like an even-more-patient Barcelona. They have total control of this match right now. 8.05pm BST 18 min: Ferguson glides in from the Aberdeen left and has a crack from a very ambitious distance. Nope. 8.04pm BST 16 min: Space for Gudmundsson down the left. He curls low towards the near post, where Wood lurks. Hoban does well to nip in front of the striker and clear. Then another phase of Burnley attack, as Ward launches long from the left-back position. Wood and Vokes combine on the edge of the area, but the former was offside and might have handled as he set about teeing his partner up for a shot. 8.02pm BST 14 min: Burnley look extremely comfortable. Aberdeen try to disrupt their flow by instigating a game of head tennis in the centre circle. It gets momentarily scrappy but the visitors can’t benefit from the chaos. 7.59pm BST 12 min: Aberdeen show in attack for the first time. Mackay-Steven cuts in from the right and looks to thread a shot into the bottom right from 20 yards. It’s blocked on the edge of the area and easily cleared, but it’s something to build a little confidence. Goodness knows Aberdeen need it after a shaky start. 7.58pm BST 10 min: A goal for Aberdeen, and we’d be set for extra time. But 1-1 is the only result that’ll give us an extra 30 minutes. “As a man who grew up following the Schmeichel-era Reds, I’ll always have a soft spot for (pretty much) any of our keepers,” writes Massimo Taibi and Andy Goram fan Barry Bryan. “I’d lost track of old Anders, glad he’s back in the big time. Maybe not good enough to be number one when de Gea was developing, but a solid keeper.” 7.56pm BST 8 min: More scrappy play in the midfield nearly allows Wood to scamper free down the right this time. McKenna is on hand to put a stop to the striker’s gallop. Aberdeen are rocking. 7.55pm BST This is so simple. Aberdeen lose the ball in the middle of the park. Westwood immediately chips it forward, sending Wood clear of McKenna. Lewis comes out to close Wood down, but the striker spins off him, takes a touch to the left, and slams a finish high into the net. A fine finish, but Aberdeen’s defence was all over the show there. 7.52pm BST 4 min: Cork drops into the pocket, probing, and is this close to sending Vokes clear down the middle. McKenna senses the danger very well, coming across to intercept at the very last minute. 7.50pm BST 3 min: Burnley are dominating the ball in these early exchanges. They’re concentrating a lot on their left wing; Wood is very nearly sent scampering down the flank, but he thinks he’s offside so checks his run. Lewis blooters clear. 7.48pm BST 1 min: It’s not long before Vokes wins a header down the left, and nearly sends Wood free into the box. That took 15 seconds or so. Logan is on hand to clear for a throw. From that, Ward seriously overcooks a cross and Lewis plucks from the sky. There’s a statement of intent, though. 7.47pm BST Here we go, then! The hosts get the ball rolling. A huge roar crashes around this storied old stadium. Glorious bedlam. The travelling Dons support are giving it plenty. 7.43pm BST The teams are out! Burnley sport their famous claret and blue. Aberdeen - who kept their hosts waiting awhile in the tunnel - wear shiny second-choice white shirts. There’s a pleasingly boisterous old-school atmosphere; Turf Moor has waited a long time for this. We’ll be off in a minute! 7.36pm BST Derek McInnes is happy to talk, however. “When the draw was made it’s the type of tie you’d expect when you get to the group stage, such is the level of our opponent. But once the ball rolls, as we saw last week, it was a very even match. We got off to a good start, we fed off the crowd, and our team were very good, very aggressive. Burnley dominated the ball in the second half, without causing us too many problems, but they did deserve their equaliser. Now the game’s finely balanced. It’s a cup tie. Through our experiences in Europe, we know that against the better teams you need two decent performances. One isn’t enough. So we’re halfway there. We’re pleased about last week, but we know what we have to do. We’ve won at difficult places before. Even domestically we’ve won at Ibrox and Celtic Park recently. We back ourselves to come here and score. Europe is important for Aberdeen, we have a strong tradition. If we can beat the team who finished seventh in the Premier League, that would be as good as anything we’ve done recently.” 7.27pm BST Sean Dyche won’t be giving a pre-match interview to BT Sport. He’s got work to do. In place of platitudinous patter, here’s our season preview for Burnley. Related: Premier League 2018-19 preview No 4: Burnley 7.07pm BST Anders Lindegaard takes over in the Burnley goal, having come on in the first leg when Nick Pope injured his shoulder. There’s one other change from their first-leg starting XI: goalscoring hero Sam Vokes takes the place of midfielder Jeff Hendrick, who drops to the bench. Also note: the club have been given dispensation from Uefa to name fourth-choice netminder Adam Legzdins as a sub. He hadn’t been named in their European squad, but all the keepers started dropping like flies, so here we are.Just the one change made by Aberdeen from the first leg. Andrew Considine slots into the defence, replacing Dominic Ball, who is one of tonight’s subs. 6.58pm BST Burnley: Lindegaard, Lowton, Mee, Tarkowski, Ward, Gudmundsson, Westwood, Cork, Lennon, Wood, Vokes.Subs: Legzdins, Taylor, Barnes, Hendrick, Bardsley, Long, McNeil.Aberdeen: Lewis, Logan, Devlin, McKenna, Considine, Hoban, Ferguson, Shinnie, Mackay-Steven, Cosgrove, McGinn.Subs: Cerny, Forrester, Gleeson, Wright, May, Ball, Campbell. 6.55pm BST And now a nod to Aberdeen’s greatest moment on the European stage. No prizes. Related: The Joy of Six: Great European upsets | Paul Doyle and John Ashdown 6.52pm BST This is the first European tie at Turf Moor for 51 years. Back in 1966-67, young winger Ralph Coates was the star turn in a side that made it to the quarter-finals of the old Fairs Cup, knocking out Stuttgart and Napoli along the way. Eintracht Frankfurt were their eventual conquerors. Previous to that, Burnley contested in the 1960-61 European Cup as English champions. The highlight of that run saw manager Harry Potts instigate a donnybrook against Reims, running on to the pitch and moving a hotly contested free-kick ten yards back. He was marched to the stands by a gendarme, as rocks and stones whizzed past his ears. He spent the rest of the match absentmindedly kicking the poor bugger sat next to him, as he nervously played along. Burnley eventually saw off Reims, then went out in the quarters against Hamburg. Sean Dyche has a lot to live up to. 6.02pm BST Aberdeen are up against it tonight. The 1983 Cup Winners Cup and Super Cup winners need a result at Turf Moor, home of the 1960-61 European Cup quarter-finalists and 1978-79 Anglo-Scottish Cup champions Burnley. A score draw at least. Problem for them is, the Clarets have won all four of their previous matches at home against Scottish opposition. By an aggregate score of 16-1. How relevant is that statistic to tonight’s showdown, seeing the last of those games was a win over Celtic in that aforementioned Anglo-Scottish Cup of 40 years ago? Logically, not very. But you know football’s habit of repeating itself.The first leg at Pittodrie was closely contested. The second-best team in Scotland were on top in the first half, Gary Mackay-Steven putting the Dons ahead from the penalty spot after 19 minutes. The seventh-best team in England came back strongly in the second period, and deservedly equalised through Sam Vokes with ten minutes remaining. So here we are. It’s the second leg of the second qualifying round for the Europa League. It’s perfectly poised, with Istanbul Basaksehir awaiting the winner. It’s on! Continue reading......read full article
