No shortage of passion, no lack of effort and an enthralling and entertaining night at Pittodrie, but the Europa League race is run.
Spanish side Real Sociedad creaked, but did enough to blow out the Dons’ fire and secure their place in the play-off round after an astonishing 3-2 win for the visitors in the second leg of the third qualifying round which completed a 5-2 aggregate victory.
What a game.
The real stuff starts for Aberdeen at home to Dundee United on Sunday, match the determination and resolve of this 90 minutes and anything can be achieved.
From Latvia to Holland and into northern Spain, the Dons have done themselves proud.
Ifs, buts and maybes and of course, but the damage was done on a far off field.
After the 2-0 defeat in San Sebastian last week, where his team failed to produce an effort on target or even force a corner, manager Derek McInnes gambled.
Out went midfielder Barry Robson and attacker Adam Rooney, with defender Andrew Considine moving into left back with Jonny Hayes pushed into midfield.
Summer signing from Blackburn Rovers David Goodwillie was given a start in attack as the Dons sought to make inroads into an impressive Real Sociedad side which had cantered to victory at the Anoeta.
Thousands of vuvuzelas has been handed to out to a sell-out Dons support in an attempt to generate a cacophony of noise, hard to imagine a side used to playing in the Nou Camp and Bernabeu would be shaking in their boots although the pre-match pipes added to the noise inside the stadium.
Peter Pawlett’s tumble wide on the left gifted Aberdeen their first chance with less than five minutes played but from Niall McGinn’s free kick Hayes, in space less than 15 yards from goal, completely fluffed a glorious chance.
McGinn was the next to threaten with a lob from outside the penalty which narrowly floated over goalkeeper Enaut Zubikarai’s goal before, from their first corner, Considine nodded down for Ryan Jack to finish, but the midfielder was rightly flagged offside.
But the Dons had the tempo and a growing belief this might just be their night, but the execution would have to be perfect and Sociedad gave ample demonstration of their abilities with a rapid break only ended by Shay Logan’s superb tackle on Alfred Finnbogaon inside the Aberdeen penalty area.
It was fantastic while it lasted but after 28 minutes the Spaniards struck and the game was gone after a goal so simple in its execution.
Dons goalkeeper Jamie Langfield could not prevent a corner, Chori Castro delivered and captain Xabi Prieto stole in to flick his header down and in.
A knife to the heart for the Dons, who were now 3-0 down and in need of snookers.
Just moments before half-time, the Dons gave themselves the sniff of an opportunity.
McGinn’s cross from the left was low, Goodwillie’s shot from eight yards was blocked by a defender but there was Pawlett to ram the ball home.
Losing midfielder David Zurutuza just before the interval through injury was a blow to Sociedad, he had scored the first goal in San Sebastian last week and was a calming influence just in front of the visitors’ defence.
Hayes had optimistic claims for a penalty waved away but then went into Israeli referee Eltan Shmuelevitz’s book for a lunge on Joseba Zaldua as he tried to retrieve the ball.
Passions were rising, calm heads were needed and just 10 minutes after the interval the Dons had their second.
A deep Hayes corner was nodded back into the path of McGinn and he left the Sociedad defence trailing before crossing for Mark Reynolds to power a close-range header into the net.
Game on and with the goal came the loss of Finnbogason, who suffered a shoulder injury and had to be replaced by Imanol Agirrretxe.
Flood tried his luck with an audacious effort from 20 yards which flew narrowly too high and the Dons flexed their muscles again.
Now was the time for Rooney to be given his chance, with Pawlett taken off as McInnes went for broke with little more than 20 minutes remaining.
Nicky Low soon joined in, replacing Considine, and the fast and fabulous pace continued with a succession of half-chances which always seemed to drop just wide, too short or to a Sociedad player.
For all their class and composure, Sociedad were shattered, clinging on, although substitute Sergio Canales, scorer of the Spaniards’ superb second in the first leg, could have calmed nerves but squandered two glorious late opportunities.
The last throw of the dice was to send on strapping defender Ashton Taylor as a late replacement for Goodwillie, tin hats and trumpets time, but with just five minutes remaining Alberto de La Bella was fouled in the penalty area by a lunging Logan and captain Prieto was calmness personified as he chipped his penalty kick past Langfield.
Sociedad snatched the win on the night when, in added time, a Canales cross from the right was met by Markel Bergara and his header gave Langfield no chance.