Knowing this game was win or bust, the Dons started brightly, with a flurry of set pieces and crosses into the box unsettling the Strasbourg defence amid a swirling wind.
The Pittodrie crowd was ignited on the 13th minute when Mats Knoester bundled the ball in from close range, but a VAR review found he had headed the ball onto his own arm, and the goal was disallowed.
That was the break the visitors needed after a shaky start, and they had a golden chance of their own when Ben Chilwell burst through on goal from the left flank, only to hit straight at Dimitar Mitov.
From there, it became clear that the momentum was shifting towards the French side, and they made it count on 34 minutes with the opening goal. Sam Amo-Ameyaw picked out Martial Godo with a through ball, and he kept his cool as two Aberdeen defenders failed to cut out the pass, before slotting it into the far corner.
Knoester had a chance to equalise just before half-time with a strong header that was destined for the top corner, though a diving save from Mike Penders ensured the away side took their lead into the break.
The hosts had a great chance to level the game shortly after the break when Dyllan Lobban picked out Marko Lazetić with a cross, but he could only strike the ball against Penders from close range.
The visitors then threatened to double their lead shortly, but Mitov made two excellent fingertip saves to deny Godo. With their hopes of staying in the competition hanging by a thread, Mitov continued to give the home fans hope as he saved Ismaël Doukouré’s penalty with twenty minutes to go.
Despite those heroics, there was no way back into the game for the hosts as Les Bleu et Blanc held on comfortably.
The win sees Strasbourg move to the top of the Group Phase and all but confirm their place in the top eight with one game to go, whilst Aberdeen have taken only two points from their five games, with one win from their previous 16 outings in European competition.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Dimitar Mitov (Aberdeen)
Click here to see all the stats of the match.
