Maribor 1 Aberdeen 0: Doom and gloom for Dons as they crash out of Europa League qualifiers

But hardline Bulgarian ref Nikola Popov angered the Scots after a string of contentious decisions.

READ MORE: Livid Derek McInnes blasts referee Nikola Popov as Aberdeen exit Europa League qualifiers

He opted not to send Maribor keeper Jasmin Handanovic off after he brought down Rooney in the box, nor did he allow advantage to be played with Niall McGinn subsequently scoring.

He then extremely harshly showed two quickfire yellow cards to sub Stockley moments after he came on.

READ MORE: Livid Derek McInnes blasts referee Nikola Popov as Aberdeen exit Europa League qualifiers

But Derek McInnes will be kicking himself at the Dons' exit because they battered Maribor - who have now added Aberdeen to their list of recent Scottish conquests including Celtic, Rangers and Hibs – in both legs and should have been in today's draw.

McInnes opted to bin last week's bold 4-4-2 formation in favour of his tried and trusted 4-2-3-1 and Wes Burns came in to replace the massive loss of hamstring injury victim Jonny Hayes. Kenny McLean also came back in for Jayden Stockley.

There was a touching minute's silence after the deaths of two youth players from Maribor, Damjan Marjanovic and Zoran Baljak, who died in a car crash this week. McInnes and skipper Ryan Jack also laid a wreath earlier in the day in a shrine outside the stadium.

With temperatures climbing above 30 degrees during the day, it was still very hot and humid conditions at a packed Stadiun Ljudski vrt, which had a cracking atmosphere, aided by the 400 Dons fans who had travelled.

Aberdeen did win an early corner following good work Burns down the right, but Ash Taylor couldn't direct McLean's corner anywhere near the corner in an otherwise uneventful start.

Maribor's first meaningful venture up the field nearly led to the opener in the 11th minute when Dare Vrsic smacked a crisply stuck volley from 25 yards right down the throat of Dons keeper Joe Lewis.

McGinn's quick-thinking and vision came close to setting up a goal for Burns, when he spotted the run of his colleague and threaded a ball through the middle, but agonisingly for the Scots, he overhit the pass and Burns couldn't quite manage to wrap his leg round it and keeper Jasmin Handanovic gathered.

The home side were perfectly content seemingly to allow the Scots plenty of possession, after their precious away goal, but it backfired after they gifted Aberdeen a penalty in the 24th minute.

Marko Suler, who looked unsettled in the first leg, was woefully short with a passback and Rooney nipped in to take the ball round keeper Handanovic, who chopped him down. McGinn eventually rolled the ball into the empty net, but the ref made his decision a few seconds earlier and didn't consider playing the advantage.

Unfortunately for Aberdeen, with FIFA's change of rule earlier this year, the offence is no longer deemed to be an automatic red card if the ref believes a genuine attempt was made to have played the ball and Bulgarian ref Nikola Popov only issued a yellow card.

Worse still for the Dons, Rooney's resulting spot kick was saved by the giant keeper's legs - the first penalty the former Caley Thistle striker had missed for Aberdeen in 15 attempts.

That gave Maribor huge encouragement and, really for the first time in the game, they launched a few waves of attacks, all of which were dealt with by the Dons.

However, Burns then burst forward and unleashed a 25 yard drive that took Handanovic two attempts to save as Aberdeen regained control.

They came even closer with three minutes to go before the break when an Andrew Considine header allowed Graeme Shinnie to burst through, but Aberdeen were again denied by a splendid save by the keeper, who had raced from his goal to save with his feet again.

Shinnie was perhaps fortunate to escape a red card for a very poor lunge indeed on Blaz Vrhovec and he was only booked.

Aberdeen continued where they left off after the break and McGinn hooked a volley over at the back post after a long Considine throw caused havoc.

But Maribor's dangerous Dare Visic twice tested Lewis within the space of a couple of minutes, before Milivoje Novakovic forced the ex-Peterborough United into a fine save as the home side suddenly stepped it up.

But Aberdeen were utterly stunned when sub Stockley received two yellow cards and was sent off eight minutes after coming on. Both was for what the Bulgarian whistler deemed was elbowing while jumping for a high ball, but the player and his colleagues were clearly baffled by the decision.

McInnes threw on Miles Storey in a desperate bid to get that goal and Aberdeen were still having the better of the encounter.

Maribor started exploiting the holes in the Dons defence and Marcos Tavares spun and cracked a shot around the post from close range.

Then came that awful howler from Lewis when he took a fresh air swipe at Shinnie's back pass after the ball took a bobble and the ball rolled into the net.

NK MARIBOR: (4-2-3-1): Handanovic; Sme, Suler, Defendi, Janza; Vrhovec, Pihler (Kabha 77); Vrsic, Tavares, Bohar (Bajde 74); Novakovic.

Substitutes not used: Obradovic, Sallalich, Omoregie, Viler, Mertelj.

Booked: Handanovic, Novakovic, Janza

ABERDEEN (4-2-3-1): Lewis; Logan, Reynolds, Taylor, Considine; Jack, Shinnie; Burns (Stockley 51), McLean (Storey 66,), McGinn (Wright 84); Rooney.

Substitutes not used: Alexander, O'Connor, Pawlett, Stockley, Storie.

Booked: Shinnie, Stockley

SENT OFF: Stockley

REF: N Popov (Bul)

Att: