Hertha eventually won the tie with a single goal scored by substitute Michael Preetz two minutes from the end of the second leg in Berlin.

But the side struggling in the German Bundesliga had to survive nearly 40 minutes with one less player after Zecke was red carded.

Once Aberdeen's Eric Deloumeaux was also sent off midway through the second half, it seemed only a matter of time before Hertha made tell their domination of possession.

"But we learned a lot from the two games and we got some positives out of it and I'm sure we will be prepared for games like this in the future.

"This was a special game against a big club and in big surroundings and we came out of it well.

"We managed to defend properly and we were well organised - and if we can improve on our counter attacks in the future then we can benefit from this.

"I was pleased with the effort of everyone and I give my players a lot of credit.

"I thought Eric's second yellow card was a soft one and maybe the referee was evening things up.

Hertha coach Huub Stevens praised the Scottish side, saying: "Everyone saw that Aberdeen are a very good team and a young team.

"But, after Zecke's sending off, our team spirit was very good.

"People said we were a bigger club, but we knew it was going to be a tough game and it was, especially after we had a player sent off.

"But I thought we had the better chances and I'm glad we scored near the end so it didn't give Aberdeen a chance to come back at us."