Pittodrie rocks as Ryan Hedges double sends Aberdeen into Europa Conference League play-off

Ryan Hedges scored twice but it was half-time substitute Funso Ojo who was the star of the show as Aberdeen eased past Icelanders Breidablik 2-1 to set up a tie with Azerbaijani side Qarabag in the Europa League play-off round.

Ryan Hedges celebrates the second of his two goals as Aberdeen secured a 2-1 second leg, 5-3 aggregate win, over Breidablik at Pittodrie (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group)

Hedges found the net twice with two completely different types of goal, and Ojo was heavily involved in both, with Gisli Eyjolfsson having equalised in between as the Dons recorded a 5-3 aggregate success.

The Dons goalscorer has been the subject of a failed £500,000 bid from an English Championship side and on his performance and future Aberdeen manager Stephen Glass said:

"He's disappointed he didn’t score three or four tonight. He showed his quality and character and we are delighted for him.

"I'm not convinced of anything but what I am convinced about is he is here until the summer at the moment. Hopefully, he chooses to stay. Good players are in demand, he is in demand here.

"We knew they were going to be tough. We had to make a change of shape at half-time and it helped us get over the line."

Glass had indicated before the match that his side would not settle for the draw that would secure their passage after their first-leg victory, but for much of the first half the sides cancelled each other out.

It was poor stuff as neither goalkeeper was worked for over half an hour, but suddenly the game sparked into life.

The catalyst was an incredible miss for the visitors as Viktor Einarsson squared for Arni Vilhjalmsson six yards out, but with Joe Lewis having been taken out of play, the forward fired wide.

That sparked a period of pressure for the home side that saw Hedges pass up a superb opening when left one-on-one with goalkeeper Anton Einarsson before Jack McKenzie saw a shot saved by the keeper two minutes later.

Christian Ramirez also tested the keeper before the break with an uncharacteristically weak finish, as the sides went in level but Aberdeen well in the ascendancy.

Glass is building a reputation for his tactical tweaks and a pair of half-time substitutions brought immediate rewards. Ojo was one of those entering the fray at the break as the Dons changed formation and the revitalised Belgian had an immediate impact.

He went on an astounding run to the left by-line and produced a cutback that made it impossible for Hedges to miss from close range, and the tie seemed over inside a minute after the restart.

The win should have been sealed after 51 minutes as Ojo robbed David Atlason after the fullback fell over. He again played in Hedges who this time pulled back to Lewis Ferguson, but his shot was wide of the target.

But Breidablik came back into the tie as Eyjolfsson curled home a superb leveller that left what had been a noisy 15,000 crowd at Pittodrie temporarily stunned.

They were soon back in full voice and were rewarded after 70 minutes when Ojo whipped a fine cross to the edge of the box.

Ramirez did superbly to bring it down, and although it did not drop kindly for him, Hedges was on hand to steer a superb left-footed 20-yard strike inside the far post.

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