Aberdeen’s European goal hero Dante Polvara admits his superb strike against Eintracht Frankfurt was “bittersweet”.
The American midfielder fired home in the first half to put the Dons level against the Bundesliga club in Germany in the Europa Conference League Group G opener.
Polvara says the goal was the biggest of his career – but was disappointed it was not enough to land a positive result.
Aberdeen returned to the group stage of Europe for the first time since the 2007-08 UEFA Cup.
The Germans were leading through an Omar Marmoush penalty inside 11 minutes before Polvara restored parity with 22 minutes on the clock.
Eintracht Frankfurt, the 2022 Europa League champions, netted the winner through Robin Koch in the second half to edge a 2-1 win.
Polvara said: “It has got to be my biggest goal but it was a bit bittersweet because we lost.
“I know I haven’t scored a lot but it has to be up there.”
Positives to take into league games
The Dons went into the match on the back of poor domestic form, having failed to win in any of their opening five Premiership games.
Despite the disappointment of the defeat Polvara hopes the performance can ignite the club’s stuttering domestic campaign.
Aberdeen are at home to Ross County on league duty on Sunday.
Polvara, 23, said: “We lost two set-piece goals against Frankfurt and that is disappointing.
“The main issue is that we have come away with nothing.
“We need points and to put in so much effort and come away with nothing is disappointing.
“Hopefully, this performance will see us kick on into the domestic games.”
Polvara recently signed a new three-year contract at the club, keeping him at Pittodrie until 2026.
The goal in Germany was his first for the Dons, and he opened his scoring account with a memorable strike.
Midfielder Polvara, who had a loan spell in the USA earlier this year with Charleston Battery, hopes it is the first of many for Aberdeen.
He added: “That will be up there for a while but hopefully I can score a few more to give it a bit of competition.
“I scored one goal for Charleston so getting goals is something I have been keen to add to my game.”
