Caltex Socceroos striker Jamie Maclaren missed an early penalty as his Hibernian were forced to settle for a draw away at Aberdeen overnight.
In a huge clash that had ramifications on European qualification, Maclaren’s missed spot-kick proved decisive as the match finished 0-0 at Pittodrie.
Maclaren won the penalty for Hibs when he was bundled over in the box by Aberdeen’s Mark Reynolds.
But his penalty effort lacked the power to beat Joe Lewis, with the keeper getting down to his right to palm the ball away to safety.
The young Aussie went close again on 24 minutes but was unable to keep his header down.
They were the best two chances of the match, with Maclaren getting through 66 minutes before he was replaced by manager Neil Lennon.
The result means Hibs stay in fourth spot on the SPL ladder, three behind second-placed Aberdeen with two games of the season to go.
Despite drawing a blank, Maclaren has been in superb form for Hibs since his mid-season switch from German 2.Bundesliga side Darmstadt, scoring five goals in 13 appearances.
Elsewhere, Mathew Leckie started again for Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga but his side slumped to a 3-1 loss at Hannover 96.
Hertha trailed 3-0 at the break before Davie Selke pulled a goal back but that was as close as they came to a comeback, with Leckie substituted with just six minutes left.
In the Premier League, Brad Smith was an unused substitute for Bournemouth, who sent Swansea into the relegation zone with a 1-0 win thanks to Ryan Fraser’s goal.
Caltex Socceroos defender Aleksandar Susnjar also watched from the bench as his Mlada Boleslav were held to a 0-0 draw at home against Banik Ostrava.
There was an Aussie flavour in the J-League as Milos Degenek’s Yokohama F.Marinos played out a 1-1 draw with Mitch Langerak’s Nagoya Grampus.
Langerak was superb for Nagoya, making a string of excellent saves to preserve a point for his side.
Ex-Caltex Socceroos boss Ange Postecoglou is coach of Yokohama.
