Turf Moor’s first taste of European football in 51 years ended in celebration rather than sour grapes, as goals from Burnley duo Jack Cork and Ashley Barnes ended Aberdeen’s resistance in extra-time.
After 90 minutes the sides had gamely replicated last week’s 1-1 draw at Pittodrie but the additional half-hour allowed Sean Dyche’s side to flex their muscles, with Cork’s close-range header and Barnes’ penalty sealing a trip to Istanbul Basaksehir next week.
A simpler evening appeared to be in the offing when Chris Wood lashed home a sixth-minute opener but the Dons were worthy opponents – equalising through a sublime bicycle kick from 18-year-old Lewis
Ferguson and staying in the game thanks to goalkeeper Joe Lewis.
His first-time clip over the top caught Aberdeen short but Wood was alive to the opportunity. The New Zealander took one touch to bring the ball down, a second to drag it away from Lewis and made no
mistake in slamming his shot between two covering defenders.
Ferguson sensed his moment and took it brilliantly, swivelling and contorting his body in search of a dream goal. Incredibly the teenager – son of Derek and nephew to Barry – found one.
Ferguson’s inspired intervention raised his team-mates, who grew in confidence and might easily have taken the lead just before the interval when Anders Lindegaard tipped Graeme Shinnie’s snap-shot wide.
He brought an added edge to Burnley’s attack, leading the charge as they upped the tempo.
A winner in normal time seemed likely as both sides began to tire, leaving gaps all over the pitch. A
couple of cynical fouls snuffed out dangerous counters while wingers from both sides, Niall McGinn and Aaron Lennon, ran themselves to an early exit.
His cross was wicked and Cork’s onward run went unchecked, leaving the midfielder to nod in from close-range.
Barnes settled it from the spot after Scott McKenna’s handball, leaving Dyche to plot the next chapter of Burnley’s continental journey.
