Christie will aim to get the party started
AS Ryan Christie’s deft head-flick found the far corner of the Apollon Limassol net, a sellout Pittodrie erupted in scenes reminiscent of a bygone age.
For all those present as the ground shook, it was a moment to savour. As was Graeme Shinnie’s terrific late thunderbolt that secured a vital 2-1 Europa League firstleg victory over the Cypriots.
But Christie himself was far too focused on the task in hand to fully appreciate the electric atmosphere of a European night in the Granite City until long after the bedlam had died down.
For the on-loan Celtic winger, there is only one way to remedy that situation now.
By helping fire the Dons past Apollon in the stifling heat of Larnaca tomorrow night and take a step closer to securing group-stage football for Pittodrie for the first time since 2007-08.
‘It was an incredible atmosphere at Pittodrie last Thursday night against Apollon,’ smiled Christie.
‘The fans make a European night there a big occasion. It was a very special occasion for us players too, but when you are playing in it, you don’t really take it all in.
‘It’s only when you look back and you think: “I really want to experience that atmosphere again at Pittodrie”.
‘So, to make sure we get it again we have to get through in Cyprus and then we want to try and win in the play-off round.
‘That would get us into the group stage and it would be great to do that!’
Three seasons in a row, the third qualifying round of the Europa League has been where the Aberdeen adventure has ground to a halt.
Elimination by classy Spanish side Real Sociedad in 2014 left Derek McInnes with few complaints.
But subsequent exits to Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan and Maribor of Slovenia remain a source of regret.
The Dons take the psychological advantage to Cyprus of having won their home leg, however, unlike in the previous three years.
And Christie believes the slender lead will ensure it is not as fraught an affair as away to Siroki Brijeg in the last round, when Aberdeen eventually won 2-0 to go through 3-1 on aggregate.
‘It will be different to Bosnia-Herzegovina,’ he nodded.
‘When we went out there, we knew we had to score to stay in the competition. It was more of a tactical game. We had to wait until the 70 minute mark before we got the breakthrough.
‘But it gives us more confidence this time knowing we are going over to Cyprus with a lead.
‘That means it’s up to Apollon to take the game to us because it’s them that need to get on the scoresheet.
‘But don’t get me wrong. We are not going to sit back and let them attack, attack, attack out there. We have more than enough quality going forward to punish them on the counter-attack. We will go there and try to dominate the game.’
During McInnes’ tenure in the north east there have been fine away wins in Europe over FC Groningen in Holland and Siroki Brijeg in the last round.
But the pick of the bunch undoubtedly came when Aberdeen beat Rijeka 3-0 in July 2015.
Before that, the Croatians had lost just one of their previous 19 European games in their charming Kantrida Stadium, situated on the beach by the Adriatic Sea.
Safety concerns over Apollon’s home stadium mean Thursday’s tie will be played in Larnaca, close to the clubber’s paradise of Ayia Napa.
But with Aberdeen having a strong away record under McInnes, Christie is confident the Dons can handle the soaring temperatures and put the Red Army in full party mode. ‘It is a different game over there,’ he said.
‘We will have to deal with the heat at their place and we are going to have to accept having less of the ball. We will need to be switched on tactically.
‘But while the heat will be a factor I am not overly worried because our fitness is high. We have trained for a month and our fitness is as good as anyone else’s at this stage of the competition.
‘I thought we handled it well in the first leg against Apollon. It was pretty physical at times and it’s a credit to us that we stood up to that. There were definitely periods in that first game where some of our fluency on the ball and our positivity was brilliant.
‘Hopefully we can do the business in the second leg out in Cyprus and make our mark in European football.’