JONNY HAYES kept Aberdeen’s Euro hopes alive and kicking with a dramatic late equaliser against Maribor.
Amazingly, the Dons were trailing with just two minutes left after creating enough chances to win several matches.
Dynamic and intelligent for every minute bar the one which saw 37-year-old Milivoje Novakovic hand the Slovenians an 83rd-minute lead, this looked like being another Scottish football hard-luck story.
But Derek McInnes’ men finally scored five minutes later to keep hopes of making the group stage.
Losing an away goal, especially a poor one as Ash Taylor was weakly bundled aside by Novakovic, will irk the Dons boss but this Maribor side, while decent, can certainly be exposed at the back.
They will have to do that next week, but last night’s performance will give McInnes belief they can.
The Dons boss opted to pair Adam Rooney and Jayden Stockley for the first time this season.
Going with two up was a bold move, but the Dons have been at their best in Europe so far with both strikers up top. And it worked.
Aberdeen could have gone in front after just two minutes. Awarded a free-kick on the right hand side, Shay Logan picked out Taylor at the back post with a precision ball.
His knockdown caught Maribor napping, allowing Rooney in behind to hook a cross towards Stockley across goal.
The Englishman knew what was coming and had timed his run, but just couldn’t connect.
Stockley had another chance seconds later, this time meeting a cross himself at the back post but his header was cleared by Marko Suler.
It was high-octane stuff from the Dons, who harassed and harried Maribor all over the pitch.
They carved another opening but Niall McGinn blazed a deep Hayes cross over from a tight angle.
Aberdeen’s explosive start didn’t knock Maribor off their stride. Experienced playmaker Marcos Tavares was keen to get on the ball at every opportunity, poking and prodding at the Dons defence.
They nearly created an opening for Novakovic on seven minutes but Logan was able to wrestle the ball away from the striker.
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Aberdeen then got a glorious chance thanks to a cock-up by Maribor’s defence. Marwan Kabha clattered a clearance off Suler, sending the ball spinning towards Rooney on the edge of the area.
He knew it was a great opportunity to score but was being closed down by backtracking defenders, so took a swing at the ball early.
Goalkeeper Jasmin Handanovic had rushed off his line and got just enough of his body to Rooney’s shot to stop it squirming through.
The Dons had been warned about Maribor’s slick attacking and nearly paid the price for a lapse on 16 minutes.
Rooney couldn’t keep up with Denis Sme as he overlapped down the right before cutting back for Kabha, who should have side-footed home from ten yards but somehow blazed his shot over.
All of Maribor’s dirty tricks were on show, with their defenders especially keen on holding, barging and blocking Dons players off the ball.
Aberdeen should have opened the scoring soon after, following a great move involving Hayes, Ryan Jack and Andrew Considine but Rooney missed a diving header by inches.
The Dons were desperate to forge ahead but left themselves too open on the half-hour, as Novakovic got in behind the defence before looking to slip a pass to the unmarked Dino Hotic.
It would have resulted in a certain goal but for a perfectly- timed block from Logan.
Aberdeen thought they’d taken the lead three minutes before the break.
McGinn’s corner fell perfectly for Stockley at the back post and the Englishman didn’t do much wrong, sending a powerful header on target but Handanovic somehow managed to get enough of a wrist on to the ball to push it over.
He was needed by his team again early in the second half when Suler’s slip allowed Stockley space at the back post.
He couldn’t hit Rooney’s cross first time had to scurry back looking for an angle, but by the time he did the keeper blocked his shot.
McInnes withdrew Stockley and Graeme Shinnie with 19 minutes remaining, introducing Wes Burns and Kenny McLean.
Rooney finally had the ball in the net, dinking the ball past Handanovic from McGinn’s pass but the celebrations were halted by the linesman’s flag.
Agonisingly, Maribor’s counter- attacking eventually paid dividends with seven minutes remaining.
Taylor went shoulder to shoulder with Novakovic on the edge of the box, with his team-mates upfield, but the Englishman was brushed aside.
It was all too easy for the Slovenian international, who charged through before beating Joe Lewis with an angled shot.
But Aberdeen refused to be beaten, equalising with two minutes remaining.
Rooney held off two defenders inside the box to tee up Hayes and he blasted home to give the Dons hope for the return leg.
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