ABERDEEN slumped out of Europe at the third qualifying round for the fourth year running as they wilted in the heat of Cyprus.

Derek McInnes’s side were trying to protect a narrow 2-1 first-leg lead, but Andre Schembri’s first half goal saw them chasing the game.

And they didn’t create enough chances as they became the first 
Scottish side to lose to a Cypriot team in 10 meetings, with sub Emilio Zelaya volleying in a late second goal.

Read more: Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes slams home fans after Cyprus defeat

But this was an incredibly frustrating exit for the Pittodrie side against a team who were bang average at best. Aberdeen have now lost to Real 
Sociedad, Kairat Almaty and Maribor at this stage as their attempts to reach the Europa League play-offs for the first time died again.

It sparked off huge celebrations from Apollon fans and the Swiss ref even threatened to take the players off the pitch at one stage in the second half because of the relentless smoke bombs, flares and firecrackers.

But the truth was Aberdeen created little and visibly tired as the game progressed in a disappointing night for the Scots.

McInnes made one change from the team that edged out Apollon last week when Jayden Stockley replaced Nicky Maynard up front. It was the exact same team that triumphed 2-0 in Bosnia against Siroki Brijeg. Adam Rooney didn’t travel after his thigh injury.

Temperatures had “cooled” to around the mid-thirties by kick-off, but it was far more humid than in Bosnia in the previous round.

Aberdeen were backed by over 700 fans in the AEK Arena in Larnaca, with the game moved because Apollon’s stadium is being reconstructed. The borrowed venue may only have held just over 7000 fans, but the Cypriots made an almighty racket with endless flares and firecrackers which lit up a terrace behind a goal. But this was to create problems later on.

Read more: Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes slams home fans after Cyprus defeat

Aberdeen were looking very comfortable, so it came as a huge surprise when the Cypriots took the lead with their first attack of the game in the 17th minute.

Greg Stewart was skinned down the Aberdeen right by Jander, who netted in the first leg. Anton Maglica controlled his cross and dragged it wide, taking keeper Joe Lewis out of his goal. He cut the ball back to the lurking Andre Schembri, who clipped the ball into the net, despite Gary Mackay-Steven’s desperate attempts to clear it on the line.

It was an avoidable goal on plenty of levels with the very heart of the Dons defence badly exposed.

Aberdeen were stung by the setback and Ryan Christie’s clever free-kick from 25 yards almost caught out Apollon keeper Bruno Vale at his near post.

Jayden Stockley picked up his seemingly obligatory yellow card for flailing arms on Charalambos Kyriakou, although it did look harsh and he was quickly followed into the book by Christie and Anthony O’Connor as the game became increasingly edgy and scrappy with five first-half bookings, which is exactly what the home side wanted.

The second half was a few minutes old when Swiss ref Stephan Klossner suspended the game temporarily because a massive smoke bomb let off by the home fans had enveloped half the pitch. Soon after, another flare came down into Joe Lewis’s goal which caused the whistler to speak to club officials to get them to sort out their fans or else he would take the players off the pitch.

Read more: Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes slams home fans after Cyprus defeat

Aberdeen again caused their own problems when a short corner went badly wrong and presented Apollon with another two-against-one situation which they wasted with a poor final pass.

The Scots were looking increasingly ragged and seemed to be visibly wilting in the heat and Antonio Jakolis was denied by a decent save from Lewis as Apollon took command.

But McInnes’s side missed a glorious chance to level with 21 minutes left when sub Maynard played an inviting pass which finally split the Apollon defence. Kenny McLean had just the keeper to beat, but his heavy first touch took him wide of the goal and when he went round the keeper, the angle was too acute for a shot and his cutback was cleared by Valentin Roberge.

Then Mackay-Steven saw keeper Vale block his effort at the far post from a deep Shay Logan cross as a sense of urgency at last hit the Dons.

It was all or nothing now for the Scots and a free-kick from sub Greg Tansey caused panic in the home box, after Considine just failed to get a touch on a Maynard header.

But Apollon doubled their advantage with four minutes left when Zelaya volleyed in after Lewis had tipped a shot from Marios Stylianou onto his bar and Tansey’s header went straight to the Apollon sub who returned it in some style.

Even the six minutes of injury time couldn’t save Aberdeen and a weak McLean header deep into added time straight at the keeper was their last hope. And to top off a horror night, there were clashes at the end of the game between the Aberdeen fans and the stewards.

APOLLON LIMASSOL (4-2-3-1): Vale; Pedro, Roberge, Yuste, Jander; Alex (Zelaya 84), Kyriakou; Alef, Jakolis (Stylianou 73), Schembri (Sardinero 66); Maglica.

UNUSED SUBS: Papastylianou, Zelaya, Spoljaric, Pittas, Vasiliou.

BOOKED: Pedro, Alef, Alex

ABERDEEN (4-2-3-1): Lewis; Logan, O’Connor, Reynolds (Wright 78), Considine; Shinnie, McLean; Stewart (Tansey 65), Christie, Mackay-Steven; Stockley (Maynard 53).

UNUSED SUBS: Rogers, Storey, Arnason, Harvie.

BOOKED: Stockley, Christie

REF: S Klossner (Switzerland).

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