JONNY HAYES’S late strike two minutes from time gave Aberdeen the goal they deserved in their bid to remain in touch with this Europa League tie.

Maribor would have been relieved to enter the changing room at full-time following 90-plus punishing minutes.

The pace of Aberdeen, as electrifying as ever, presented the Slovenian side with many difficulties in this compelling first leg of their third qualifying round tie and Hayes was at the centre of it all with his attacking wing play and determination not to accept all was lost after Milivoje Novakovic’s 83rd minute goal which put the visitors in front.

In the run-up to this game, Derek McInnes, the Aberdeen manager, insisted a goalless draw at Pittodrie would not upset him.

Maribor recorded the same result in Slovenia against Levski Sofia in the previous round only to win by a solitary strike in their second leg in the Bulgarian capital eight days ago.

McInnes proclaimed after the first qualifying round victory over Fola Esch of Luxembourg at home that his preference in Europe would be to start with just one striker, Adam Rooney being his main man.

There was a change of plan last night, however, as the big Irishman was paired alongside the equally powerful Jayden Stockley, while their opponents fielded their usual suspects, led by their gifted Brazilian skipper, Marcos Tavares.

Predictably, it was the hosts who went for the throats of the Slovenians and came within a whisker of taking the lead within a couple of minutes when Rodrigo Defendi cleared a Stockley header off the line, one of a flurry of attacks by the home side in the opening period.

Then, with 11 minutes played, a defensive mix-up in the Maribor penalty box afforded Rooney sight of goal and while Jasmin Handanovic’s save didn’t prevent the ball from squirming into his net, the keeper managed to rescue a nerve-racking situation for the visitors.

Yet there were reminders that the Dons defence could not afford to lose concentration, as they did in the 17th minute when Denis Sme left Andrew Considine in his wake before teeing-up Marwan Kabha who, inexplicably, scooped his shot over the bar from six yards.

It was one of many eye-catching passing manoeuvres from the club responsible for the elimination of Hibernian, Rangers and Celtic from European competition in recent years, though in truth Joe Lewis was seldom troubled in the home goal.

His Maribor counterpart, on the other hand, had to effect an astonishing touch over the crossbar two minutes before the break as Stockley’s header from a Niall McGinn corner-kick looked like breaking the deadlock.

It summed-up Aberdeen’s passion in a blisteringly-paced opening forty-five minutes, not to say a measure of uncertainty in the Slovenia defence all of whom must have felt mightily relived that they were not behind at the interval.

Dare Vrsic’s low strike two minutes into the second phase offered Lewis his first piece of serious action, the former Cardiff City forced to turn the ball past the post and the 17,000 Dons supporters wondered if that might be a Maribor marker for the rest of the game.

Aberdeen had other ideas, and just before the hour Stockley had another opportunity in front of goal only for the visitors to scramble the ball out for a corner-kick. Maribor, though, did not display duress in such circumstances.

They were shaken, however, in the 62nd minute as a Hayes thunderbolt from the edge of the area whizzed past Handanovic’s far post, another reminder that the hosts were determined to make capital of this home leg.

Still the Reds powered forward with McInnes introducing fresh legs as Kenny McLean and Wes Burns, on a season-long loan from Bristol City, replaced Stockley and Graeme Shinnie respectively with twenty minutes remaining.

All the while, the Violets wrestled with the question of how to cope with the irrepressible Hayes, energetic and effervescent in his quest to see reward for his sizzling runs telling crosses.

But just as it looked like this compelling game was heading for one without goals, Maribor struck with seven minutes remaining as a clever pass towards the area from Aleks Pihler saw Novakovic beat Ash Taylor to the ball and drilled it home from 16 yards .

The Reds supporters, chilled by the strike, had hardly time to take in this setback before Hayes stepped-in with a ferocious equaliser five minutes later, his presence in the penalty box a welcome sight for Rooney who had held off the challenge of the excellent Marko Suler to lay the ball off for his fellow Dubliner to hit a more than deserved goal.

Aberdeen (4-4-2): Lewis; Logan, Taylor, Reynolds, Considine; McGinn, Jack, Shinnie (Burns 72), Hayes; Stockley (McLean 72), Rooney. Subs not used: Alexander, O’Connor, Pawlett, Wright, Storey. Booked: Hayes 30, Rooney 90.

NK Maribor Handanovic; Sme, Defendi, Suler, Janza; Vrhovec (Pihler 68); Hotic (Bohar 46), Kabha, Tavares, Vrsic (Bajde 83); Novakovic.

Subs not used: Obradovic, Omoreg, Viler, Mertelj. Booked: Kabha 24.

Vrhovec 66, Bohar 90, Tavares 90.

Referee: T Hansen (Norway). Attendance: 17,105.