ABERDEEN 1 FC NOAH 1 Thursday 27 November 2025 UEFA Conference League Matchday 4 Pittodrie Attendance: 15,060 Referee: Pawel Raczkowski
Aberdeen were held to a 1-1 draw with FC Noah in the Europa Conference League on Thursday night.
There were two changes to the Aberdeen side that beat Hearts at the weekend, Jesper Karlsson and Kevin Nisbet returning in place of Stuart Armstrong and Marko Lazetic, who were on the bench. Sivert Heltne Nilsen, Kusini Yengi, Alfie Dorrington, Ante Palaversa and Rodrigo Vitols were also among the subs. Nicky Devlin skippered the side in his 100th start for the Dons.
The game started in an awkward, swirling wind, but at least it was a dry night at Pittodrie after the weekend’s deluge, Noah, surprisingly, having not brought the rain with them.
Adil Aouchiche got the crowd excited in the third minute, picking up a throw on the left and exchanging passes with Karlsson before darting into the box and firing at goal, Fayulu saving comfortably.
A neat pass forward from Mats Knoester found Karlsson and seemed to have opened Noah up on 14 minutes but as he pulled the ball back, Alexander Jensen and Topi Keskinen got in each other’s way and the chance was gone. It was a good start for the Dons as they attacked the RDS, playing much of the game in Noah’s half.
Jack Milne took a stray elbow from Mulahusejnovic in the face in the 20th minute and needed lengthy treatment to a cut above the eye. He eventually resumed with a couple of yards of bandage protecting his forehead. Aouchiche was next to go down, taking a full blooded clearance on the side of the head from no more than a handful of yards away on the half hour.
The Dons had the lead 20 seconds from the break. A long ball forward from Aouchiche saw Keskinen on the chase. Shrugging off Boakye, he cut back inside and pulled the ball back for Nisbet who controlled with his first touch, turned, and then left the goalkeeper on his backside as he slotted in.
In the third minute of added time, Noah won a free-kick 25 yards out, Keskinen booked for his protests. Helder’s curling effort was perhaps drifting just wide, but Dimitar Mitov made sure with a good save at full stretch to push the ball behind.
HALF-TIME: ABERDEEN 1 FC NOAH 0
Noah made a change at the break, Aias replacing Grgic as the visitors went with two up top. Santini was booked in the opening minute for pulling Nisbet back.
The tactical change paid immediate dividends for Noah who levelled things up on 52 minutes. Aias made a good run down the right to collect a long ball and delivered a magnificent curling cross from the corner of the box to the back post where Mulahusejnovic threw himself at the ball to lant a diving header past Mitov.
It was Aias again on 54, a first time strike from 18 yards that Mitov clung onto as Noah looked a different side early in the second half. But it was Nisbet who had the next chance, good possession from the Dons ending with Devlin playing a low ball into Nisbet at the near post, but his instinctive stab at the ball pushed it wide.
There was a triple change for Aberdeen on 57, Polvara, Nisbet and Keskinen making way for Graeme Shinnie, Lazetic and Armstrong. Shinnie was in the book for a fairly innocuous foul on Aias within a minute. Thoraninsson was replaced by Oshima almost immediately. Milne was booked on 63 for a late challenge on Sangare. Leighton Clarkson then replaced Aouchiche as the game became very stilted.
Karlsson got the football going again on 67, bludgeoning a shot towards the near post, Fayulu shovelling it behind. Another change followed on 70, Aberdeen’s last, as Nicolas Milanovic replaced Dylan Lobban, the Dons going to a back four. Within 30 seconds he was in on goal, Karlsson rolling the ball into Milanovic’s run at the near post but he dragged the ball into the side netting. He was booked three minutes later for a foul on Sualehe.
Devlin was close with a bending shot from 25 yards that drifted just wide after Lazetic cushioned the ball into his path in the 78th minute as Aberdeen went in search of that vital second goal. Helder was replaced by Hambardzumyan in the 80th minute in Noah’s third change. Their final substitution came six minutes later as Jakolis came on for Sangare.
The chance came in the 93rd minute, patient Aberdeen play culminating in Armstrong curling a cross to the back post, but Milanovic put his header over the bar from ten yards, and that was that.
FULL-TIME: ABERDEEN 1 FC NOAH 1
Aberdeen: Mitov, Lobban (Milanovic 70), Devlin, Knoester, Milne, Jensen, Polvara (Shinnie 57), Aouchiche (Clarkson 65), Karlsson, Keskinen (Armstrong 57), Nisbet (Lazetic 57).
Subs not used: Suman, Vitols, Molloy, Heltne Neilsen, Yengi, Palaversa, Dorrington.
Goal: Nisbet (45)
Booked: Keskinen, Shinnie, Milne, Milanovic
FC Noah: Fayulu, David Sualehe, Muradian, Saintini, Thorarinsson (Oshima 59), Boakye, Helder (Hambardzumyan 80), Eteki, Sangare (Jakolis 86), Grgic (Aias 46), Mulahusejnovic.
Subs not used: Chancharevich, Dashyan, Avanesian, Manvelyan, Goncalo Silva.
Goal: Mulahusejnovic (52)
Booked: Santini
