Derek McInnes

“When the second goal went in for them they had the momentum and they started to believe.

“But we always knew if we scored one goal then it would be beyond them. We felt that it would be too much for them to score what was required and that it would be beyond them.

“At half-time we were pleased with the players efforts as we had went one and a half games without conceding.

“I was telling everybody just how good a team they were, nobody will test our discipline domestically like that.

“They are a good side, even compared to the teams we played last year, Real Sociedad and Groningen, I felt that the swiftness of their play and the way that they moved the ball quickly was excellent. They really tested us and we had to come up with the answers and keep putting fires out and I thought we did that excellently. We also created a good few opportunities for ourselves, enough to keep the supporters interested who were outstanding in their appreciation for the game.

“When they got the first goal it obviously gave them a lift and the second goal can always happen with the deflection looping over. That’s why no game is ever over when you are playing against a team of that quality. Fair play to the players their response was immediate. I have talked a lot about our quality of defending, discipline and shape but the quality of McGinn’s finish was great as there wasn’t a lot of the goal to hit there. To score five goals against that level of opposition with five different scorers says a lot.

“When our first goal went in we all took a sigh of relief because for me at that point I knew we were going through.

“I have got three games to watch over the next few days and we will get Kairat watched again on Sunday. I am not as clued up about them as others but I know that they are top of the league and that there has been a lot of investment in their club. I think they have only lost 13 goals all season in the league and they don’t find goals hard to come by either so we have got a tough ask but we are not going to get anything other than that at this stage.

“They will recognise the job that we have done in this tie and will know that they are getting tough opposition as well and that’s the way it should be at this stage of the competition so we look forward to it.

“We have been tested and it is easy to pick faults in them (Rijeka) but when you really dig deep you see the quality that they have got. To come through the tie a lot of people at Aberdeen have done their jobs really well from the scouts to our substitutes coming on at the end.

“We feel that we have negotiated and managed a really tough level of opposition and we look forward to the next one.

“The distance obviously makes the next tie a bit more complicated but we would rather be in it than watching from the side seeing others take part. It’s a different experience and European football can throw that up. The flight is booked the club have managed to take care of all that and they have done the right thing by us, we will give the players enough room to get a good sleep on the flight and we will stay in a good hotel so we will be ready for the game. Its 8 hours away with a 5 hour time difference so it’s not simple but it’s not beyond us and we will deal with it and look forward to it.

“I don’t know them as well as I will this time tomorrow but they will be a tough nut to crack.”