It was the match that Scottish football almost forgot in the midst of a flabbergasting week. But Jimmy Calderwood's Aberdeen added an equally splendid postscript to the midweek achievements of the Old Firm.

Travelling to Ukraine after a goalless first leg, their chances of progress to the group stages of the UEFA Cup appeared to have dissipated. Yet a Darren Mackie header and a diligent defensive display ensured that Scotland will have a third representative in prolonged continental combat.

Calderwood, who twitched furiously during a tense second half, hailed what he described as his greatest achievement in restricting Dnipro to a 1-1 draw on the night to advance to the lucrative group stages. Nerves which were already fraying as the Ukrainians pounded at the Aberdeen defence came close to snapping entirely when the hosts equalised the away goal with just 15 minutes remaining, It may have been fortuitous, an Andrew Considine clearance rattling against Andriy Vorobey and into the net, but it came amid a spell of pressure in which the hosts hit the frame of the goal three times.

Yet after a horribly tense final few moments, the second-placed side in the Ukrainian league - a team full of internationals - were finally quelled, sparking unencumbered joy from the Aberdeen manager.

"I took Dunfermline to the Scottish Cup final and Europe and Aberdeen into Europe," Calderwood said. "But winning against a team of this quality is definitely the biggest achievement of my career.

"In the group stages I don't think we will face two or three teams as good as Dnipro are. Maybe one but there won't be many as good as this team.

"It's a great result for Scottish football and a great result for us at the end of a great week. Our coefficient will be going up and maybe we might get another team in the UEFA Cup. Five out of the league wouldn't be too bad."

On a night when every man in the side did what was asked and more, Calderwood found praise for two in particular. Mackie, making his first start since August after a hamstring injury, scored his first goal of the term and 50th for the club, while Jamie Langfield, the goalkeeper, produced a string of great saves beginning with an early strike from Dmytro L'opa.

It was quite a return for a man only reinstated to the side ahead of the first leg after he was sidelined as punishment for a drunken incident on his stag night in May, in which he exchanged cross words with his manager.

"We brought him back and it wasn't an easy decision," said Calderwood. "But it is great for us and great for Jamie and, you never know, I might even buy him a pint. He made a great save after three minutes - the gameplan could have gone out the window. But we got the goal we believed we could get. I brought Darren back, he has been out for a few weeks, but he is our top scorer in the last few years. He was ideal for the system we wanted to play and it worked for us."

Indeed it did, with Mackie's goal a reward for a display full of spunk and endeavour. Ricky Foster, the attacking left-back, exchanged passes made for the byeline and, showing great desire, he lobbed the ball over Denys Andriyenko and lofted a cross into the penalty area where Mackie, silencing the hitherto boisterous home fans, bulleted a diving header into the back of the net.

For a Dnipro side who had lost nine goals in three defeats since the draw at Pittodrie it was blow to their confidence. It was a timely one, too, given the enthusiastic manner.

Langfield pushed away a drive by Dmytro L'opa and Sergiy Nazarenko also troubled him with a 25-yard free-kick. But despite their possession, most efforts were from long range, with few clear chances being created.

Lee Mair's introduction at the interval for Jamie Smith bolstered the rearguard further but Dnipro eventually found an equaliser. A corner was not cleared and when Considine tried to thump away, his kick rebounded off the boot of Vorobey eight yards out and flashed past Langfield.

Moments later Nazarenko crashed a 20-yard strike off the bar, then set up Andriy Rusol to head against a post. The frame rattled once more, Kravchenko striking the crossbar, but the Scots held on to complete a memorable triumph.