Twente Enschede 3 - 0 Aberdeen

Even at eight o' clock with the sun having gone down, it was 25C in the Arke Stadium in Enschede as Twente kicked off in this pre season friendly against Jimmy Calderwood's team. The teams emerged to the familiar Gerry and the Pacemakers number, You'll Never Walk Alone with the Dons players going to acknowledge their 70 or so traveling support as they broke away from the team photo.

Aberdeen started to come more into the game with Scott Severin gaining more possession and Clark and Heikkenen getting their passing game going. Then disaster struck on the 21st minute when Dmitri Shoukov sent a dangerous ball in from the left touchline midway inside the Dons half and Congo born Blaise N'Kufo squeezed a header passed David Preece at the far post from three yards out. The goal lifted and four minutes later Preece required two attempts to stop Cziommer's 20-yard rocket. Then in the 27th minute N'Kufo's lay back on the 18 yard line saw Cziommer blast the ball narrowly over the crossbar. The crowd did not appreciate the drinks interval that then punctuated the play for a couple of minutes but it gave the Dons some worthwhile time out to re-group.

On the resumption keeper Sander Boschker was forced into his first save as a Michael Hart cross was headed weakly towards goal. A 34th minute free kick on the right brought Diamond and Anderson up but when the free kick was sent over pushing in the penalty box gave Twente a foul. Six minutes from half time, N'Kufo came close to notching the second when he carved out a chance for himself on the left side to power a shot just wide of the target. Aberdeen replied with Hart setting up Steven Craig but his shot from inside the D went soaring over the crossbar.

Twente extended their lead a minute later when Diamond was unlucky to be given a free kick against him right on the edge of the box to the left of centre. This time the wall could do nothing as German, Simon Cziommer, currently on loan from Schalke, lifted the ball over the five man defensive wall and into the left of the goal. Aberdeen kept trying to get men forward in an effort to retrieve the situation but in the 77th minute, substitute Fafiani swung in a free kick from the right and Ramon Zomer rose above the defence to head in the hosts third from six yards.

Chris Clark denied the Dons a consolation thanks to a shocking miss two minutes from time. McNaughton's cross from the right was touched square by Whelan to the Dons no.11 but he blasted wide left from just six yards. Jimmy Calderwood now has a week to get his side ready for the visit of Rangers and the start of competitive football. Interested spectators in the Arke Stadium were the players from Dunfermline Athletic who complete their Dutch pre-season on Sunday with a match in Enschede against local amateurs Vogido. They then face Aberdeen in the third match of the SPL campaign.