Burnley battle back at Aberdeen to leave Europa League clash wide open

Burnley’s supporters waited 51 years to return to European competition and spent much of this first evening back worried that they may not get the chance to use their passports.

Aberdeen was not their destination of choice for this first Europa League outing, but Derek McInnes’ side threatened to make it the only trip of their tour, particularly in a furious opening spell that saw them lead through Gary Mackay-Steven’s penalty.

Yet a fine Sam Vokes strike 11 minutes from time - two touches to take the ball around the Aberdeen defence, a third rasped into the top left-hand corner - eventually subdued Pittodrie and rewarded the visitors’ improved second-half display.

Vokes’ goal means Burnley will begin next Thursday’s return leg at Turf Moor as comfortable favourites to progress and play Istanbul Basaksehir but Aberdeen’s dogged display suggests there is more than enough life in the tie yet.

This was a typical ‘Battle of Britain’ - comprised of quick wing-play and physical defending - and it was handed an extra round extra ammunition last week following Aberdeen’s sale of Adam Rooney to non-league Salford City.

South of the border, Rooney’s switch provoked much debate about the decline of the Scottish game. This side of Hadrian’s - and particularly at Pittodrie - those who watched Rooney become a bit-part player of waning influence know such talk is overblown.

Here, they had chance to prove it and Aberdeen set about their task with the intensity that these all-British affairs in Europe usually bring. McInnes’s side were quick out the traps and not afraid to stretch Burnley’s narrow backline down the flanks.

Niall McGinn’s crossing from the left caused plenty problems, especially for Nick Pope. The goalkeeper, back in action after travelling as England’s third goalkeeper at the World Cup, departed with a suspected shoulder injury after tangling with Sam Cosgrove under one high, hanging McGinn cross.

Cosgrove, a nuisance up front throughout, would soon find himself at the centre of events again. Another tangle, this time with James Tarkowski underneath Mackay-Steven’s cross, resulted in Aberdeen being awarded a soft penalty.

Tarkowski will feel aggrieved when he sees a replay of the incident; Cosgrove will point out there was clear contact. The referee, Daniel Seibert, confidently awarded a spot-kick all the same and Mackay-Steven effortlessly sent Anders Lindegaard, Pope’s replacement, the wrong way.

“It’s a sell-out crowd tonight, the first in a long time,” a head steward was heard telling those under his charge before kick-off, and that same sell-out crowd was now in raptures all around Pittodrie. Burnley - often beneficiaries of an intimidating home atmosphere themselves - had been cowed by the noise of the Granite City.

open image in gallery

Perhaps ‘European pedigree’, a nebulous concept at the best of times, can be important. During Burnley’s 51 years in the European wilderness, Aberdeen have qualified for continental competition on 33 occasions, earning the two stars that sit proudly above their crest.

McInnes is unlikely to match the triumphs of Alex Ferguson’s 1983 Cup Winners’ Cup and Super Cup winners any time soon, but his side are at least familiar with these preliminary stages of the Europa League format and used to having their pre-season schedule disturbed.

Aberdeen have played at this stage of the competition in each of the last four seasons - progressing past the second qualifying round every time - and that experience seemed to tell as their visitors struggled for midsummer rhythm.

Burnley had to wait until the opening stages of the second half for a real clear-cut opportunity, and Jack Cork’s diving header was only kept out at point-blank range by Joe Lewis’s sharp reactions. A scramble ensued, the ball should have been turned home, but Aberdeen were reprieved by the referee’s whistle.

open image in gallery

The visitors improved after that opportunity but still had to be wary of the Aberdeen counter. Just two minutes on from Cork’s chance, Cosgrove almost doubled the Dons’ advantage, taking a shot early after slipping through the Burnley lines. Lindegaard, at full stretch, was able to bring the angled effort under control.

Aberdeen’s young frontman deserved a goal - and went close with a header shortly after the hour mark - but lacked the finesse to find it. Finesse, indeed, was in short supply all round. But as the evening entered its closing stages, Vokes found its first true moment of poise and skill.

Chris Wood’s knockdown was awkward and Vokes’ first touch more awkward still - lifting the ball high into the air inside the penalty area. Scott McKenna’s failure to adequately challenge Vokes allowed the striker to bring the ball across his body with the second touch, however. His third was an emphatic finish over Lewis’s shoulder.

Aberdeen must now win or score at least twice at Turf Moor to progress in 90 minutes. McInnes’ men showed they are capable of just that, but with an away goal behind them, Burnley's more daring supporters might just allow themselves to think of Istanbul.