Aberdeen FC were unable to gain a decisive lead in the first leg of their Europa League qualifier against RoPS Rovaniemi at Pittodrie on Thursday night.
Despite dominating for the majority of the game, a 93rd minute goal left the home crowd deflated and gave the Finnish side a lifeline ahead of the return leg in Lapland next week.
On the same day that he signed a new three year deal, Derek McInnes was left pulling his hair out at full time, and will now know that his team are in for a difficult match in the return fixture if they are to progress to the second qualifying round.
Story of the match
Dons boss McInnes handed starts to summer signings Jon Gallagher and Ryan Hedges, and both players showed real moments of quality throughout the game.
Hedges saw an early left foot curler palmed wide by the impressive Antonio Reguero, who is already known to fans of Scottish football from his spells with Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Kilmarnock and Hibernian.
The Welsh international then got himself an assist on his debut, when his cross from the left picked out Niall McGinn who rounded Reguero and deftly dinked the ball over the keeper and into the net to give the Dons the lead 10 minutes before the interval.
The Dons came right out of the blocks after the restart, and doubled their advantage when Sam Cosgrove met a cutback from the lively Gallagher to tap home from inside the area on 48 minutes.
Reguero on top form
The home side continued to threaten and really should have put the game to bed, but were unable to due to the inspired form of Reguero.
The Spaniard produced a countless number of saves, including an excellent stop from a powerful Cosgrove effort from 15 yards out, as the Dons looked to press home their advantage.
The Finnish outfit certainly rode their luck, and in the dying seconds of injury time took their one real opportunity, when Shay Logan conceded possession cheaply, and Tommi Jantti beat the offside trap to stick the ball past Joe Lewis and give his team a vital away goal going into next week.
Takeaways from the match
New faces hit the ground running
Midfield pair Ryan Hedges and Jon Gallagher both showed the Pittodrie faithful that they have the quality to supply the forward line with goals.
Both players were able to register assists and perhaps suggest that Aberdeen won't be missing the departed Gary Mackay Steven too much.
Irishman Gallagher was certainly the more lively of the pair, with his constant energy and intelligent running in behind the RoPS defence, which led to him teeing up Cosgrove for the Dons second goal.
Man of the match
Had it not been for goalkeeper Antonio Reguero, then RoPS would have most certainly been heading home on the end of a real hammering.
The man from Madrid never set the world alight during his four years in Scotland, but stole the show with a number of eye-catching saves which even the Pittodrie crowd could do nothing but applaud.
