And SeeBass get his wish with the game against Bayern on 14th February 2008 coming in at number nine on the list of top ten:
In 2008 some 25 years after the Dons win over Bayern, it was almost poignant the Dons would face their German foes again.
In a game which had a tea-time kick off the suit German TV, England Under-19 team-mates Josh Walker and Sone Aluko both gave Aberdeen the lead in the first half with Miroslav Klose replying during sustained pressure in between. But Hamit Altintop levelled after Spanish referee Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez had penalised Alan Maybury for handball despite previously ignoring two similar Aberdeen appeals.
The decision deprived Aberdeen of the chance to hold on for another famous win over Bayern.
No-one had expected the Dons to pull off a repeat, especially with five men injured, but they came so close thanks to a positive first-half show in the first leg.
With Jackie McNamara and Derek Young among the absentees, Jimmy Calderwood brought in Andrew Considine, Lee Mair and Aluko. Their first penalty claim came within 30 seconds when Andreas Ottl handled as he tried to head clear Aluko’s cross.
Zander Diamond cleared Altintop’s weak effort off the line, but the Dons continued positively, with Bayern troubled by direct runs from Aluko and Darren Mackie, who partnered Lee Miller up front. Aberdeen’s promising start was rewarded when they stunned the Bundesliga leaders with a 24th-minute opener crafted by the two on-loan teenagers.
Aluko held up a high ball before laying it off to Walker, and the 18-year-old Middlesbrough reserve curled a superb shot into the corner from more than 20 yards.
Josh Walker (centre) rifles Aberdeen into a shock first half lead with his first goal for the club
Klose scored a simple equaliser in the 29th minute as he found the top corner following Luca Toni’s head-on.
Just as Bayern appeared to have taken a grip of proceedings, the Dons regained the lead in the 41st minute. Miller’s deft flick released Aluko and he drilled the ball underneath Michael Rensing, who had stepped in after an ill Oliver Kahn had flown home without leaving the plane. Aluko ran beyond Bayern’s defence again but he curled a 25-yard shot wide.
His Birmingham boss Alex McLeish was among the 1983 heroes paraded at half-time, but the current generation’s hopes of creating their own piece of history were soon dashed. Ze Roberto’s cross struck the hand of Maybury a few yards away, and Gonzalez’s consistency came into question when he pointed to the spot. Langfield saved Altintop’s penalty but the Turkey midfielder was first to the rebound to net a 55th-minute leveller.
The 20,047 crowd hailed Aberdeen at the end of another memorable European night in the Granite City.
Aberdeen boss Jimmy Calderwood bemoaned the double standards which denied them a famous win: ‘We should have got a hand ball decision in the first half and didn’t.
“Jamie was very unlucky, if it had come out at an angle it would have been fine. We were hoping to get a bit of history but we still got a wee bit. I thought at times in the first half we played very well. “Good teams allow you to play, you have got to have the confidence to do so. The boys got a lot of confidence from that. We know we have got to score there so there will be no point sitting back.”
The Dons boss hailed loan pair Walker, of Middlesbrough, and Birmingham winger Aluko, who are England Under-19 team-mates. He said: “Fabulous – they have got a big career ahead of them. I think you can see why Walker has been the captain of the England Under-16s, 18s and now 19s. They were two wonderful goals – the execution was great. For the second it was a wonderful touch from Lee Miller and wee man has flicked it up and finished it.”
Bayern boss Ottmar Hitzfeld thought his team deserved the penalty – but agreed the draw was a fair result.
“It was a wonderful UEFA Cup match,” the German said.
