Both Shakhtar Donetsk and Feyenoord will have mixed feelings upon the final whistle of their UEFA Europa League Round of 16 first-leg contest in Warsaw.
A fairly even and dull first half was not a promising sign for anyone expecting to see some dramatic developments in this contest.
Arne Slot's team went on to begin the second half the much better team and an opening goal seemed a matter of time.
However, Feyenoord's dominance was almost made to count for nothing, as a comical opening goal from Yaroslav Rakitskyi put the hosts ahead late in the second half.
Ezequiel Bullaude's 88th-minute equaliser was the very least that the visitors deserved. His header ensured that Feyenoord will remain the favourites to qualify for the last eight of the competition, ahead of next week's second leg in Rotterdam.
Story of the match
Suspensions to Valeriy Bondar, Bohdan Mykhaylichenko and Yukhym Konoplya, all picked up in the second leg at Rennes, meant that three out of Shakhtar's regular back four were unavailable tonight. Igor Jovicevic dealt with this significant issue by having Rakitskyi, Lucas Taylor and Dmytro Topalov come into the team.
There were just the two changes for Feyenoord, from their weekend league win against Groningen. Sebastian Szymanski and Danilo came into the XI, in the places of Javairo Dilrosun and Santiago Gimenez.
The visitors, entering the first leg as slight favourites, made a fairly decent start to the contest, often forcing Shakhtar into loose giveaways in midfield.
After six minutes, a neat bit of play from the hosts down the left side led to Dmytro Kryskiv winning a corner for his team. Lassina Traore's resulting flicked header at the near post was the game's first attempt at goal.
Feyenoord's first half-chance came just after the opening 10 minutes. Szymanski had a scuffed effort at goal, after being closed down just in time by a couple of Shakhtar defenders.
A lot of fouls, a low tempo and not much action were the main features of a very stop-start first half.
Some neat footwork from Alireza Jahanbakhsh in the 27th minute was abruptly halted by another foul, this time from Heorhiy Sudakov. Feyenoord's free-kick delivery from the right side into the box was comfortably dealt with.
Jahanbakhsh's stray, high foot caught Taylor in the midriff just a couple of minutes later. Referee Ivan Kruzliak opted to take a lenient stance towards both teams' sets of players, keeping his cards in his pockets throughout the combative first half-hour.
Feyenoord began to up the tempo, as the game approached the half-time interval. A blocked attempt from Jahanbakhsh, among a few other entrances into the Shakhtar box, meant that the hosts' influence on this contest had began to seriously wain.
The visitors continued their spell of control over proceedings, but without any great deal of subsequent drama, Kruzliak brought to an end a very forgettable first half.
The second half began as the first had finished. Further Feyenoord pressure led to a big chance, as a low ball across the box by Quilindschy Hartman provided Danilo with a chance to tap the ball into the net from close range. Instead, Anatoliy Trubin made a fine stop to prevent the Brazilian from opening the scoring.
A first-time, left-footed effort from Jahanbakhsh fizzed mere inches wide of Trubin's post just a minute later, as a Feyenoord opener seemed like a mere matter of time.
Oleksandr Zubkov's long-range attempt just before the hour mark was a sign of real desperation. Shakhtar were struggling to create any issues for the visitors and their availability issues heading into the game were seeming to take a strong toll on the level of their performance.
Feyenoord forced the hosts into some more desperate defending within their own box soon after.
A greatly frustrated Traore was replaced by the hero of the penalty shoot-out in Rennes, Kevin Kelsy. Neven Djurasek took the place of Kryskiv - an indication to the fact that Shakhtar were willing to just set up shop and fight to go into the second leg on level terms, rather than ahead.
Trubin, excellent throughout this season for Shakhtar, pulled off a fantastic save, diving and reaching over his shoulder to keep out a floating header from Danilo. Midway through the second half, the final whistle could not come soon enough for the Miners.
The introduction of Djurasek seemed to add a greater deal of stability to the hosts. They seemed a more reliable defensive unit and capable of seeing out the final stages of a one-sided contest.
Remarkably, with just over ten minutes of the 90 remaining, Shakhtar took a shock lead.
A corner from the left side met the low dive of Rakitskyi, bending down to the ground. The ball evaded his head and struck his back, from which it looped over Timon Wellenreuther and dipped below the crossbar, into the goal. A comical opener, which seemed a fitting way for Shakhtar to take a smash-and-grab, late lead.
The visitors maintained their intense pressure after the goal. A few half-chances made it certain that Feyenoord would not accept what would have been a crazy defeat.
In the 86th minute, a perfect cross from the left side left Jahanbakhsh with a huge chance to give his team an equaliser, but his volley rolled narrowly past the post and out for a goal-kick.
Lutsharel Geertruida's attempt from close range and a tight angle hit the side netting, as Feyenoord's shot count moved into the 20s.
Very soon after, the Dutch side finally had the goal they so thoroughly deserved.
Another brilliant cross, this time from Igor Paixao on the right side, picked out the run of Ezequiel Bullaude who nodded the ball into the far corner, leaving the excellent Trubin with no chance to save his team.
Some further Feyenoord pressure followed, including a disallowed goal, but Shakhtar held on for a draw after a very difficult evening.
The Miners can only hope that the return of their suspended players for the second leg will bring about a major increase in the quality of their performance.
Player of the match - Anatoliy Trubin
The Shakhtar goalkeeper was under pressure for much of the contest. He carried on from his heroics in Rennes, with another impressive performance.
His stop to keep out Danilo's header was by far the most impressive of the evening.
Should the 21-year-old be able to maintain his fantastic level of performances, he may be likely to become Shakhtar's next profitable export.