Aberdeen suffered a late setback in Skopje this evening but they should feel confident of progressing to the Europa League’s second qualifying round after a 1-1 draw against Shkendija.
A nervy and tentative contest came to life late on when Niall McGinn gave Aberdeen the lead 11 minutes from time.
But the Macedonians remain well and truly in the tie after substitute Hristijan Kirovski’s late header.
The Dons had to deal with a noisy home support and the hot, humid conditions as well as a stubborn and useful enough Shkendija side but they remain in the driving seat ahead of next week’s return leg at Pittodrie.
This was a step into the unknown for Aberdeen against a Macedonian side playing in European football for their fourth consecutive season but yet to win a tie.
The Shkendija side contained a plethora of internationals, including new signing Ferhan Hasani, who joined the club from Brondby on a £5,000 per week contract last week.
The major talking point in the build-up to the match centred around who Derek McInnes would play in goals.
It was Danny Ward, who joined the Dons on loan from Liverpool last week, who was given the nod ahead of Scott Brown, who had to be content with a place on the bench, while Graeme Shinnie, another summer acquisition from Caley Thistle, also made his competitive debut.
Shkendija’s support were making an almighty racket but it was the visitors who made the more promising start.
The Dons had an early chance to test the hosts with four minutes on the clock when Niall McGinn found the unmarked Jonny Hayes with a cleverly disguised free kick but the Irishman failed to connect properly and his effort was comfortably gathered by Marko Jovanovski.
A long speculative throw into the box by Andrew Considine was headed over by Ash Taylor as the Dons continued to contain Shkendija.
The Dons supporters thought their team had scored after 21 minutes when a McGinn effort from the edge of the area rippled the side-netting.
It was not to be but it looked only a matter of time before the superior Aberdeen were rewarded for their dominance.
The Macedonians were getting frustrated by their lack of possession and Bojan Vrucina received the first booking for a late challenge on Shinnie, who was proving an effective contributor in the centre of midfield.
It took half an hour for Shkendija to muster their first effort on goal but Ward was equal to Victor Juffo’s powerful left-footed drive.
Shkendija improved as the half came to end with Besir Demiri’s vicious drive blocked bravely by Taylor as the boisterous home supporters cranked up the decibels.
The hosts made a change at the break with Vrucina, only one mis-timed challenge away from being sent off, replaced by Besart Ibraimi.
The substitute could have made an immediate impact when Shkendija caught Aberdeen on the counter-attack but Ibraimi slipped at the pivotal moment as the Dons breathed a collective sigh of relief.
The Macedonian international almost redeemed himself with a blistering 30-yard free kick that was well handled by Ward, particularly given the added distraction of a laser shone in his direction from the home end.
The game was opening up as both sets of players began to tire with McGinn drawing a smart stop from Jovanovski.
The Macedonian international almost redeemed himself with a blistering 30-yard free kick that was well handled by Ward, particularly given the added distraction of a laser shone in his direction from the home end.
The game was opening up as both sets of players began to tire with McGinn drawing a smart stop from Jovanovski before Shkendija captain Artim Polozani headed wide from a corner.
McInnes made a double change to inject some life into the Dons with Goodwillie and Pawlett introduced for Rooney and Willo Flood.
The Dons were forced to make their final change soon after when Mark Reynolds sustained a nasty looking injury following a collision Demiri and was replaced by Quinn.
In an increasingly nervy climax, the former Ross County defender came to the rescue for the Dons with an excellent last-ditch tackle to prevent Stenio Junior turning the ball home into an unguarded net.
But the Dons looked to have ended the anxiety with 11 minutes remaining when Shaleum Logan cut the ball back for McGinn to fire the ball past Jovanovski to finally silence the home crowd.
But the lead did not last long when substitute Kirovski, who had just entered the play, headed over the out-stretched Ward and into the net.
A blow for Aberdeen but they should remain hopeful of making it to the next round.