Aberdeen gave it their all but fell just short in their thrilling Europa Conference League opener as Shakhtar Donetsk survived an almighty scare at Pittodrie .

The 2009 UEFA Cup winners fell behind early on after a handball led to Jesper Karlsson's first goal for the club from the penalty spot, but Yegor Nazaryna was able to pull the visitors level at the break.

Lucas Ferriera and Pedro Henrique scored within five second half minutes to silence Pittodrie , but Nicky Devlin's header sparked a nervy ending for both sides.

Both sides searched for that crucial strike, but in the end it was the Ukrainian outfit that prevailed, with Aberdeen able to hold their heads high after finally putting in a performance that has been badly missed this season.

Jimmy Thelin's men made life di

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