LINFIELD 0 ABERDEEN 2 July 11 2026 Windsor Park
The Dons completed their pre-season programme with a comprehensive victory in Belfast, 2-0 the final score in a game where Aberdeen produced some good attacking football and could have scored more.
Aberdeen were the first to threaten, Tony Yogane cutting inside from the left before bending a shot across goal and just wide of the far post, a fine effort.
We didn’t have to wait long for the opener though, Brad Lyons on the mark in the sixth minute. Toyosi Olusanya set him up with a nicely weighted pass on the edge of the D and Lyons, wearing the captain’s armband, struck it first time, guiding the ball past Glavin in the Linfield goal. An excellent finish.
Yogane was getting plenty of joy down the left, cutting the ball back from near the by-line in the 13th minute, but Kevin Nisbet’s first touch let the ball just get away from him.
Olusanya was a whisker away from doubling the lead in the 19th minute. Patient passing play from Aberdeen down the right eventually created an opening for Dylan Lobban to play the ball into the box. Olusanya was onto it, and his dipping first time effort beat Glavin, but thumped into the crossbar and away.
Lobban was a threat again five minutes later, a driving run down the right followed by a low cross into the box. Nisbet looked to hit it first time and did not quite connect properly, but these were more promising signs from Aberdeen.
Connor Ronan pinched the ball deep in his own half on 25 minutes. He played into Nisbet, who quickly set Yogane away. He skinned the right-back and drilled a low shot across goal that Glavin had to push behind at full stretch. From the corner, Lyons misjudged his leap and ended up heading wide from just six yards out.
There was more promise from the Dons on the half hour, another good move between Nisbet and Yogane teeing up Afeez Aremu to fire a shot just wide of goal from 25 yards.
It was 2-0 in the 36th minute, Lobban with the goal. More patient build up play culminated in Yogane floating a cross into the back post. Lobban got in front of the defender, took a good first touch and then finished clinically with his second from eight yards out.
It could have been three in the 41st minute. Nicky Devlin came rampaging forward and picked out a lovely pass to Olusanya. His first touch took him into space, but his driven shot at goal was smothered by Glavin, off his line to narrow the angle well.
HALF-TIME: LINFIELD 0 ABERDEEN 2
The Dons brought on Mitchel Frame for Yogane at the break. Linfield replaced McKay, Baird and Chapman with McGee, Nolan and Frizzell.
Frame had an early opportunity too, getting in behind the Linfield defence in the 51stminute, but Glavin spread himself well to make the save. The keeper had a very good game.
Olusanya opened up the Linfield defence with a clever backheel two minutes later. From there, his pull back for Ronan was nicely played, but the midfielder’s shot was deflected just wide of the target.
There were more changes on the hour, Nisbet, Ronan, Mayo, Lyons and Lobban ending their afternoon’s work, with Findlay Marshall, Jack Milne, Kjartan Kjartansson, Ayoub Mouloua and Nesta Guinness-Walker coming on. Linfield took off Ross, Offord and Hall, with Jermakovas, Graham and Annett joining the fray. Olusanya was hacked down right on the edge of the box in the 65th minute. Marshall stepped up to take, bending it round the wall and forcing Glavin to go full stretch to parry his shot away.
Aaron Cummings, bound for Elgin City on loan this term, and Jack Searle, heading for Peterhead on loan, were introduced in place of Olusanya and Aremu after 71 minutes. Allen and Wade replaced Brown and Moore at the same time.
Mouloua had a great opportunity in the 74th minute, showing great movement, but not quite connecting with a low cross from the right through the area, and pulling his shot wide from ten yards out. Moments later, Searle jabbed a first time effort wide of goal at the back post after a good move down the left involving Frame.
Devlin and Happe came off for Lewis Carrol and Sam MacLean in the 75th minute. The young subs will be joining Peterhead and Huntly respectively this season. Three minutes later, Cargill and Davidson came on for Wells and McCullough.
It should have been 3-0 when Glavin spilled a MacLean shot in the 83rd minute. Searle was onto it quickly and squared for Mouloua, but his jabbed finish drew a brilliant point blank save from the recovering Glavin. Seconds later, Mouloua headed just over from eight yards out.
ABERDEEN: Mitov, Lobban (Guinness-Walker 60), Mayo (Milne 60), Happe (MacLean 75), Devlin (Carrol 75), Ronan (Marshall 60), Aremu (Cummings 71), Lyons (Kjartansson 60), Yogane (Frame 46), Olusanya (Searle 71), Nisbet (Mouloua 60). Subs not used: Suman, Palaversa. Goals: Lyons (6), Lobban (36)
LINFIELD: Glavin, Brown (Wade 71), McKay (Nolan 46), Hall (Jermakovas 60), McCullough (Cargill 78), Baird (Frizzell 46), Ross (Graham 60), Moore (Allen 71), Wells (Davidson 78), Chapman (McGee 46), Offord (Annett 60). Subs not used: Johns, Leahy, Fitzpatrick.
