Christian Ramirez continues to look worth every minute of the extensive effort Stephen Glass invested in securing his signature on a two-year contract.
After an uneven 90 minutes which saw momentum shift back and forth, the American's clinical double ultimately ensured Aberdeen head into next week's second leg at Pittodrie holding a vital advantage in their Conference League quest. For Ramirez, four goals from his first four appearances in red counts as a highly encouraging introduction.
The former Houston Dynamo forward struck inside the opening three minutes, then again in the second half after Glass had made a bold triple half-time change and switched formation. In between times, Lewis Ferguson doubled Aberdeen's lead before Breidablik surged back to draw level at the break.
In the end, Glass gained reward for his tactical bravery. Looking ahead, and with Ramirez in this form, they should feel confident of completing the job to reach the play-off round. A 1-1 draw between AEL Limassol and FK Qarabag last night leaves the identity of their potential next opponent in doubt.
Aberdeen now face a trip to Livingston in the Premiership on Sunday as they look to grow the early seeds of promise from this much-changed squad.
They showed signs of defensive fragility during their first half wobble, but Scott Brown and young Calvin Ramsay were among those who stepped forward to help keep odds of progression very much in their favour.
Breidablik's 3,000-capacity home ground, Kopavogsvollur, is deemed not to meet UEFA standards for this stage of a competition, meaning this fixture was moved five miles along the road to the national stadium in Reykjavik.
The switch disappointed the hosts' manager Oskar Hrafn Thorvaldsson but unquestionably came as good news to Glass. Beyond removing Breidablik from familiar surroundings, it meant playing on a grass surface rather than an artificial one.
