Former Portsmouth loanee and Sunderland ace ends seven-month goal drought to ease pressure on under-fire boss
Former Pompey loanee Adil Aouchiche made the move to Aberdeen during the summer window where linked up with former Fratton team-mate Kusini Yengi.
It’s been a tough start to life in Scotland for former Pompey forward Adil Aouchiche.
The 23-year-old, who spent the second half of the 2024-25 campaign at Fratton Park, made the move to Aberdeen on a season-long loan from Sunderland.
After a frustrating start to the Scottish Premiership, Jimmy Thelin’s men went into the weekend propping up the table, having failed to win any of their opening six games.
Meanwhile, defeats in Europe - including Thursday’s 3-2 disappointment to Shakhtar Donetsk - saw huge pressure mount on the Swede.
Adil Aouchiche ends seven-month wait for goal
Having been handed his fifth league start of the season, Aouchiche repaid the boss’ faith by netting his maiden goal for the club in their 4-0 triumph over Dundee on Sunday.
In fact, his first-half effort represented his first competitive goal since his late strike during Pompey’s 2-1 defeat to Plymouth Argyle at Fratton Park in March.
It was a much needed boost for Thelin and Aouchiche, who joined Jesper Karlsson and Emmanuel Gyamfi on the scoresheet.
Although the three points keeps the Dons at the foot of the Scottish Premiership table, the head coach was full of praise following his side’s showing
He told Aberdeen Live: ‘The pressure is always there, at home you have to win, and I can’t control what everyone outside is thinking. I am the manager so I am responsible for the results, so I have to stay focused on the things we can control.
‘When you have difficult times, as long as you feel everyone is connected and the energy is there, you hope everything will turn around and you will get what you deserve. It’s a different thing if you don’t feel the energy is there, but you can see what has been building.
‘I know how hard everyone has been working so I’m happy with the way the team is growing and going in the right direction. Before this game we stayed focused on the right things.
‘The mix of the goalscorers is good, which is important for us because we can’t be too reliant on certain players.’
Kusini Yengi struggles
Although there was huge relief for Aouchiche, Yengi’s struggles at Pittodrie are continuing.
The League One title winner was left out of the 20-man matchday squad for the 4-0 triumph, representing the fourth time in the past six games.
Following his permanent switch to the Dons in June, Yengi has scored just once in his eight appearances, with his sole strike coming against Scottish second-tier side Morton.
It continues the Aussie striker’s wait for a league goal, with his last coming for Pompey against Wigan in April 2024. Since then, the frontman has failed to net in any of his following 18 league matches.