Aberdeen remember their greats: Right No 9 finally scores, the £144k goal and HJK clash turns into episode of Casualty

Bojan Miovski equalised for Aberdeen against HJK Helsinki at Pittodrie.

It was a night when Aberdeen remembered striker greats from the past with tributes being paid to Frank McDougall and Jim Forrest before kick off.

For a worrying spell, the No 9 called Bojan who Aberdeen fans most definitely did not want to score on such an emotional evening threatened to prove the difference. Current Aberdeen striker Miovski’s namesake Bojan Radulovic opened the scoring for HJK Helsinki just before the hour mark. But the right No 9 equalised with an opportunistic header with 11 minutes left to secure a 1-1 draw and earn Aberdeen a very handy windfall as well as their first point of the group stage. It was a goal both McDougall and Forrest would have been proud to score since it was a proper striker’s goal.

Miovski was waiting to pounce after Helsinki skipper Miro Tenho failed to deal with a hooked long ball from Nicky Devlin. Pittodrie erupted. This was more like it. Home supporters had turned up hoping to enjoy an occasion evoking classic European nights of old. Instead, they were presented with something resembling an episode of Casualty.

The first half, due to finish at around 8.45, ran on until very nearly 9pm. The final whistle did not sound until 10.05pm. Over ten minutes of injury time was played at the end of the first half following long stoppages for injured Aberdeen players. Duk took a painful blow to the head after a challenge with Georgios Kanellopoulous. The midfielder appeared to strike Duk with a flailing arm but the referee – and VAR – interpreted it as accidental.

HJK took the lead via a strike from Bojan Radulovic.

Duk passed some stringent concussions test by the pitchside and the game eventually restarted, only for him to then crack heads with teammate Richard Jensen as they challenged for a Leighton Clarkson free kick. Jensen was left with a terrible gash above his eye and the game was again stopped for a lengthy period. The centre-half eventually reappeared after being bandaged up in the dressing room. But it was not the end of the hold-ups. Helsinki player Matti Peltola had to be replaced by Tuomas Ollilia due to a muscle issue. More time was added on.

All this was clearly a matter of regret for the men involved. Clearly head injuries are now taken more seriously. Indeed, it was a surprise to even see Jensen again although his determination had already been in evidence against his countrymen. But it was also deeply frustrating for the crowd of 16,316 because while a good old fashioned European encounter had been promised, it was not allowed to develop. The ingredients were all there. The opening stages certainly suggested we had a treat in store. The emotion was further ramped up by the minutes’s applause for McDougall and Forrest, both of whom have passed away in the last fortnight. “Two of our very finest,” commented the Tannoy announcer although there was no need. The players’ goalscoring deeds speak for themselves.

On such a night, reporters were desperate for a striker, preferably from Aberdeen, to do something of note. Miovski did distinguish himself with a twisting headed effort that flew just past in the first half. It was a match that failed to yield too many goalscoring chances and when one did fall at the feet of a No 9, sadly for Aberdeen it was Radulovic who swept home just before the hour mark following a throw-in.

Helsinki had been threatening after Aberdeen enjoyed the better of the opening half. Duk needed to get a little more on his header he attempted to glance over Jesse Ost from a low cross into the box from Stefan Gartenmann. The keeper was able to make a good point blank save. The half then descended into a series of stoppages that damaged both sides’ momentum, although it was the hosts who had most cause for frustration, because they were the ones most obviously in the ascendancy. This anguish deepened after 59 minutes when Helsinki struck the goal that silenced Pittodrie bar the 100 or so fans in the away section, at least ten of whom had stripped to their waist.

Aberdeen's Richard Jensen suffered a nasty head wound.

In their blue and white striped shirts, HJK Helsinki bore a resemblance to Porto, who Aberdeen played and ultimately lost out to at the last four stage as they sought to defend their European Cup Winners’ Cup title in 1984. Nearly 40 years on, it’s now the Conference League where the challenge lies. While there isn’t the prestige of old, there's plenty of financial incentive.

Aberdeen secured the equaliser that earned them a cool £144,000 and Duk should have grabbed a goal worth another £300,000 shortly afterwards when he sped free of the backline. His effort was well saved by Ost – although the ‘keeper ought to have been left without a chance.