Aberdeen goalkeeper Kelle Roos has urged his team-mates to use the pain of defeat in the League Cup to fuel their bid to get the league campaign back on track.
The Dons’ hopes of reaching the League Cup final were dashed by Rangers in a 2-1 defeat at Hampden in Sunday’s semi-final.
The extra-time loss was a bitter blow for the Dons, who played the additional 30 minutes with 10 men following the sending off of captain Anthony Stewart at the national stadium.
But, with a trip to Tynecastle to face third-placed Hearts looming tomorrow, Roos knows he and his team-mates have to put their Hampden heartache behind them as they bid close the six-point gap on the Jambos.
The Dutchman said: “If you play games like this – and it is a sore one to lose – the next game can give you a lift to go again and put things to bed quickly.
“We will have to prepare like we always do and make sure we are ready. It’s a massive game.
“We have shown all season round we are a group who are growing. We have different edges to our game and if we keep doing that we can definitely be in the mix.”
‘We did everything right’
Sunday’s semi-final loss was a bitter pill to swallow for the Dons goalkeeper.
Roos regards Aberdeen’s loss as a major career disappointment given the circumstances – with Ryan Jack scoring a deflected equaliser for the Dons before Stewart’s sending off.
He said: “It is a big stage for us to be at, we deserve to be here and it’s just a painful one to fall short.
“I feel we did everything right, other than a couple of things, and we asked a lot of questions and tested them with 11 men and then with 10.
“I think we scored a very good goal, they scored a very scrappy equaliser. It was very sore.
“That’s exactly what I mean with scrappy. When somebody strikes the ball that hard and it gets deflected that way and goes from the middle of the goal all the way to the left, it’s so hard and gives me no chance.”
Ryan Jack with our opening goal at Hampden.pic.twitter.com/xPFWCsT7b9
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) January 15, 2023
Dons goalkeeper frustrated at missing out on final place
Aberdeen fans were proud of their side’s performance against Rangers at Hampden, but there was no hiding the frustration Roos felt and failing to make the final.
He said: “For a lot of people, it is a day out. I want to make it very clear – for us, this was not a day out.
“I know from my football career so far the only way it is nice to play finals is to win them. We didn’t do that.
“At Aberdeen, you know what is expected of you. We are expected to be at the top of the league, challenging for this cup, the Scottish Cup, the league, and trying to get to Europe.
“We are all aware of that fact that comes with a club like this.”
Stewart’s red card left Dons with a mountain to climb
The red card shown to Dons skipper Anthony Stewart in injury-time swung a tightly contested semi-final in Rangers’ favour.
But Roos insists the Dons gave their all even though they were left at a disadvantage thanks to their captain’s rash challenge on Fashion Sakala.
He said: “It’s difficult enough to play 11 v 11 against them. They are a very good team, we dealt with it so well.
“When you go down to 10, it’s even harder, but we still asked questions.
“I think if we get the luck they get with the equaliser then we get it to penalties. The equaliser gave them the lift they needed.
“With 10 men, when they score we know it is going to be a hill to climb. We tried and we tried, stuck with it.”
On Stewart’s challenge Roos added: “I didn’t have a very good view of it. I think everyone is very emotional after a game like this. We’ll analyse it as a group.
“There will be good things and not so good things.
It's a RED for Anthony Stewart! 🟥
The Aberdeen skipper has been at the heart of the build-up this week, and his challenge on Fashion Sakala now has him headed back to the dressing room early 😬#RANABE | #ViaplayCup | @spfl pic.twitter.com/Q4VVmNTTlG
— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) January 15, 2023
“We have to take it on the chin, keep moving forward – This is football. We try our best together to do the right things.
“Things happen like this in football. It’s painful, but we have to keep moving forward.”
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