Overview
- John Mercado opened the scoring before captain Lukas Haraslin and Garang Kuol added goals as Sparta capitalized on Aberdeen errors playing out from the back.
- Aberdeen finished 36th in the league phase with two points and a goal difference of minus 11, managing only three attempts in Prague with none on target.
- Jimmy Thelin made four changes but kept focus on rhythm ahead of Sunday’s visit to Celtic Park after a recent domestic upturn.
- The win secures Sparta direct passage to the round of 16 under the league-phase format, avoiding the extra knockout play-off tie.
- In the buildup, Sparta’s Brian Priske and Lukas Haraslin praised Aberdeen’s attacking approach, while keeper Dimitar Mitov and Thelin framed the campaign as a learning step with aims to return to Europe next season.