Red card and penalty send Aberdeen out of Europa League and into Conference League

Aberdeen’s Europa League ambitions were ended in Bucharest as a controversial red card and penalty shifted the balance in FCSB’s favour, consigning Jimmy Thelin’s side to the Conference League, Sport360NG reports.

Defender Alexander Jensen, already on a booking, was punished shortly before half-time when a VAR review judged he had handled the ball inside the area while chasing back against David Miculescu. The Danish defender was dismissed for a second yellow card and Darius Olaru converted the resulting penalty to put the Romanian champions in control.

“It’s a tough one. Of course, it changes the dynamic of the game, but over the two matches we were punished when they weren’t, that’s the difference,” Thelin told BBC Scotland afterwards.

Aberdeen, who had recovered from two goals down in the first leg to bring the tie level, began brightly in the Romanian capital. Ester Sokler missed a golden chance to put them ahead inside the opening minutes, his weak finish allowing FCSB to escape. Midfielder Dante Polvara also impressed early on, showing composure and creativity in midfield.

But Jensen’s dismissal altered the contest, and FCSB took full advantage. Adrian Sut’s thunderous strike midway through the second half doubled their lead before Olaru added a deflected third to seal a comfortable aggregate victory.

For Thelin, there were still positives to take. “With the quality of opponents at this level, mistakes get punished,” he said. “Now the job is to move on quickly, prepare for Sunday and show responsibility.”

Defender Mats Knoester admitted frustration at the turning point: “It felt like natural movement, but it was a massive blow for us. We should have stayed in the game longer and waited for our chances.”

Aberdeen now drop into the Conference League, with their group-stage opponents to be confirmed in Friday’s draw. Domestically, they return to Scottish Premiership duty at home to Falkirk on Sunday, while FCSB march on into the Europa League proper.