Dons hold nerve in shoot-out win
HIBERNIAN...0 ABERDEEN. . .0 ABERDEEN WIN 6-5 ON PENALTIES DEREK McINNES denied penalty shoot-outs are a lottery after praising the nerve and technique of his seven volunteers who fired Aberdeen into the Betfred Cup semi-finals. The Dons beat Hibs 6-5 on spot-kicks after a goalless 120 minutes dominated by Neil Lennon’s side at Easter Road. Goalkeeper Joe Lewis was the hero in the shoot-out, saving Stevie Mallan’s opening effort and doing enough to distract Hibs sub Thomas Agyepong — the 14th man up — as he hit the bar. ‘I had seven volunteers to take the first five penalties, which was great for me,’ said a
delighted McInnes. ‘When it goes to penalties it’s not about football, so much. But I have never bought into the idea it’s a lottery. ‘It’s about technique, mental strength, courage to take that kick and be confident with it. ‘With a keeper like Joe Lewis, we will always be confident. ‘I feel for Neil Lennon. There had to be a loser tonight. But they are a good team that are going in the right way. ‘We are delighted we got through. It’s another step to where we want to be. I hope it gives us some added confidence and boosts the whole squad. ‘Some players can take a lot of belief and encouragement from that. The resilience we showed should bolster their spirits.’ Lennon was adamant his team should have secured victory long before the shoot-out, claiming his team had created two dozen clear scoring chances during the 120 minutes. The Hibs boss said: ‘I thought we were brilliant — the game should never have got to extra time. But we missed easy chances. ‘The penalties are a lottery and can go either way. My complaint is we missed simple chances throughout to win the game. ‘We absolutely dominated Aberdeen for long periods. We cut them open, got in round the back of them. We missed headers from two, three yards out. ‘Not many teams do that to them because they are quite resolute. But in the throes of the game we were absolutely excellent. ‘I was delighted with the performance, obviously really disappointed with the outcome. We just missed chances, players making wrong decisions. But our football was of very high quality so I can take a lot of positives. ‘I am not going to bash them for that performance because it was very, very good. ‘If Aberdeen tried to nullify us it didn’t work because we had 24 attempts at goal. We’re a good side. ‘We’re building, still a work in progress, and are unlucky not to have won the game. ‘Maybe that’s the luck of the cup, sometimes it goes against you.’